The Tyrant and the Hero
by Fish on Land
Summary: According to history, the legendary hero Heinrich slew the tyrannical Monster Lord known as Black Alice. In doing so, he ended her reign of terror and brought peace to the world. But history isn't always right. Spoilers for MGQ: Paradox Part 2.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: Welcome to my very first fanfic. This has a bit of history behind it. When I originally tried writing a** ** _Monster Girl Quest_** **fanfic, it was essentially a rewrite of the original game to suit my own preferences. I wrote various snippets covering scenes from all three chapters, but this only led to the realisation that what I was writing simply wasn't interesting. I couldn't continue writing and dropped the idea for several months. Then the second chapter of** ** _Monster Girl Quest: Paradox_** **came out, with a rather significant revelation. That revelation became the inspiration for this story.**

 **This is the first time I'm writing for a major audience, so any feedback is appreciated.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the** ** _Monster Girl Quest_** **series. No profit is intended from this work.**

 **UPDATE 30/12/17: Made minor changes to the prologue**

Within a cavernous room, two people stood face to face.

One was a young man. He had short purple hair and wore a brown tunic and red cape. Though still in his early twenties, years of hardship had taken their toll on him, giving him the bearing of a seasoned veteran. The primal energy of the four elements filled the man. He was cloaked in a roaring gale, the might of the earth reinforced his flesh, his mind had the serenity of water, and his sword was ablaze with crimson flames.

The other was a blend of woman and countless grotesque organs. Most of her body consisted of a colossal mound of purple flesh that rivalled a house in size. The mound was a chaotic orgy of movement, covered in mouths, arms, legs, wings, tentacles, even vines and roots, in all shapes and sizes. At the very top of the mound was what appeared to be the upper half of a human woman. She had pale skin, straight blonde hair that reached her waist, and haunting red eyes. She wore a blue and white dress that seemed to be tailored for a young girl, sharply contrasting with the rest of her appearance. An overpowering aura of dark energy flowed from her body, seemingly causing the very stone of the floor to warp and shift.

Human and monster faced one another. The human had a look of utter seriousness, sword raised, body in a stance that would let him either charge forward or dodge an attack. The monster, on the other hand, seemed to be treating the situation like one big game. Her face was perfectly casual, even friendly, as though this intruder to her castle was a welcomed guest. Her numerous organs writhed about ominously yet made no move to attack. Her human half did not prepare to cast any kind of spell, not even a simple reinforcing enchantment.

The monster was the first to break the silence.

"Welcome to my castle, human hero. You've managed to defeat quite a few of my cute subordinates. It's been fun watching you fight your way here, but now your luck's come to an end. Now that you've run into me, the one and only Monster Lord, there's no way I'm letting you go."

The monster's voice was highly dissonant: her tone was childishly playful, yet it was as deep as a mature woman's, and it also possessed the air of someone with an aristocratic upbringing.

Despite his aggressive stance, the hero did not take the opportunity to make the first attack. It still took a few moments for him to answer.

"Cut it out, Alice," the hero said eventually, in a quiet voice that was nearly drowned out by the wind. "There's no one around to hear."

"Still, it would be a horrible waste to just kill someone as cute as you here," the monster continued. "Oh, I know! If you manage to last at least a minute against me, I'll think about keeping you as my toy. You'll be like Beary here!" She suddenly pulled out a teddy bear from underneath her dress, shaking it so that the bear seemed to be waving at the hero. "It'll be fun! We'll go on walks together, and have tea parties every day, and the three of us will sleep in the same bed…"

A decidedly unchildlike smile appeared on Alice's face. She crawled, slithered and oozed closer to the hero, tentacles twisting about eagerly.

The hero clenched his fist but did not attempt to fight. In fact, the elemental power that surrounded and filled him began to rapidly subside. Soon, he looked no different from a normal human.

"Enough," he said.

A few seconds passed, then the façade cracked. Alice let out an exasperated sigh and said, "Really, Heinrich? You could at least play along for a bit."

"It's been a long day. I'm not in the mood for playing around," Heinrich replied.

"What, do you really think you're the only one who's had a long day?" Alice said, annoyed.

When Heinrich didn't respond, Alice sighed in an exaggerated manner. Her lower body began shrinking, the various organs seeming to melt and fuse together. Eventually, Alice only had a pair of humanoid legs underneath her dress. Alice ran right up to Heinrich and leaped forcefully at him.

The two wrapped their arms around each other in a loving embrace.

"Honestly," Alice mumbled into Heinrich's ear. "Do you have any idea how long I was waiting?"

"Who was the one who abandoned me outside the castle, again?" Heinrich retorted.

"I don't remember anything like that happening,"

"Of course you don't."

The two of them remained like this for a while, simply enjoying each other's presence again. Eventually, Heinrich broke the silence.

"Well, it's been a long road getting to here, but it's finally over. Now, we can relax again – "

As he said that, Heinrich felt a faint but unmistakeable trembling. He looked at Alice, concerned.

"Ah, I just remembered," Alice said quietly, her eyes downcast. "There's still one more thing you have to do. It isn't over yet."

"What?" Heinrich said. "I don't understand. Don't tell me there's more?"

Alice shook her head, then looked directly at Heinrich, a sad smile on her face.

"It's simple. You still need to kill me."


	2. Chapter 1: Tyrant's Introduction

**AN: Here's the second part of what I'm uploading today. I'll try and finish another chapter by the end of the year, but I can't make any promises.**

* * *

"Hmm – Hmm – Hmm – "

Through the halls of the Monster Lord's Castle, the young Mary skipped about, humming cheerfully.

Mary had an unusual appearance, to say the least. From a distance, she could be mistaken for a young human girl due to her playful behaviour and the frilly blue dress she wore. But anyone who took a closer look would be startled. Mary was tall, as tall as most men, and with considerable curves underneath her dress. Her blonde hair fluttered and danced about her body as she moved. She had vibrant red eyes, overflowing with energy.

Mary moved through the castle like a butterfly, one that had recently emerged from its cocoon and was eager to explore. She never stayed in the same room for more than ten minutes before moving onto the next.

In the kitchens, she eagerly discussed the day's meals with the cooks, offering half a dozen of her own suggestions. She sniffed each and every one of the numerous pots and, most of the time, managed to correctly deduce their contents and the stage of cooking they were at. Occasionally, she tried to sneak an early tasting, only for the nearest cook to slap her hands away. When she left the kitchens, she carried off some of the rubbish in order to ease the cooks' workload. Despite carrying a heavy bag in each hand, her light movements were not hindered in the slightest.

After dropping off the bags in the castle's waste disposal area, Mary conversed with the servants there. The young royal was not afraid to get her hands dirty in the literal sense, briefly helping to sort through the mountains of rubbish.

Then Mary visited the castle's public bath in order to clean herself up. The bath was packed with dozens of other monsters and Mary exchanged numerous morsels of gossip with them. When it was her turn to bathe, Mary was just as enthusiastic and playful as the children. The adults gave them a wide berth to avoid getting splashed.

As she hurried through the hallways from room to room, Mary greeted everyone she encountered, regardless of whether they were a visiting Queen or a servant.

Although she seemed to be aimlessly wandering about, there was actually method to the young woman's madness. Mary was heading for a small guest room on the west side of the castle, where she often held tea parties.

All were welcome to Mary's tea parties. She enjoyed interacting with as many people as possible, no matter who they were. The feeling was mutual, with all of her guests coming away with their hearts lifted at least to some extent.

But unfortunately for Mary, destiny had other plans in store today.

A maid rushed towards Mary. She was a scylla, an offshoot of the sea-dwelling monsters that possessed the lower bodies of octopi or squid. The maid's tentacles beat the ground furiously as they conveyed her to her target.

"Lady Mary! Lady Mary!" The maid called out.

"What is it, Sara?" Mary asked.

"It's – you must – Her Majesty has ordered that you must see her right away!" Sara explained, gasping.

"Mother? I guess I have to go," Mary said, annoyed at the unexpected interruption. "Oh well. Lead the way."

The two of them hurried off.

-ooo-

The pair stopped outside a large and decorated door. The trip had taken longer than necessary, thanks to Mary being unable to resist the urge to stop several times and converse with various people. On each occasion, she had to be physically pulled back on to the right course by Sara.

Mary and Sara entered the room, the former as casual as the latter was alert.

Sara declared, "Your Majesty! I've brought Lady Mary here immediately, as you requested!" Then she realized that she sounded just a little too eager, winced, and added in a softer voice, "Do you have any other orders?"

The person in question was sitting beside a small table in the centre of the room. While her face was rather similar to Mary's, everything else about her was completely different. From the steel in her eyes to her entirely straight posture, she gave off an impression of regal power. While Mary outwardly resembled a human, this woman had unmistakeably monstrous features: curving horns on top of her head, purple feathers along her arms, legs covered with scales and tipped with talons.

This was none other than Alipheese Fateburn the Seventh, the current Monster Lord. She was the strongest monster alive today by a considerable margin. Even the monster Queens who ruled their respective domains ultimately answered to her.

Alipheese VII – or Alice VII as she preferred to be called – looked at the maid with slight disapproval. She said, "Thank you for bringing my daughter here. However, I don't recall specifying that she had to be here immediately."

Sara paled and couldn't say anything. Mary glared at her mother.

"Listen more carefully in the future. You are dismissed," Alice VII said.

Sara bowed and hurried out. Once they could no longer hear the slapping of her tentacles against the floor, Mary confronted her mother.

"What the hell was that for!?" Mary shouted.

"I was telling her about her mistake so that she could perform her duties better," Alice VII replied calmly.

"You didn't – you didn't have to say it that way!" Mary fired back. "She was absolutely terrified!"

"Listen, Mary – "

"Like hell I'll listen to you!" Mary shouted. "You – you were the one who taught me that we should be kind to people of lower classes, since it's hard for them to do anything if they're oppressed. So what the hell was that? What, do you think that you're above such things, that you should be able to do whatever you want?"

Alice VII listened to Mary's tirade calmly. When her daughter had run out of things to say, she spoke up again.

"Listen to me, Mary. Yes, I may have been a bit harsh towards her. It's also true that I am in the more powerful position and she in the weaker, and there is little she could do if I were to abuse her. _However_ , that is not the problem here. The problem is that Sara is too eager to perform her duties, which ironically interferes with her ability to perform them. By criticising this tendency of hers, I am ultimately helping her."

"But – "

"Tell me, Mary," Alice VII said, "What would you have done in the same situation?"

"I – I – " Mary began nervously, "Well, I would have told her that, um, that she needs to take things a little easier, and, well… "

Mary shrank slightly at her mother's gaze. It was the same gaze that she used in the royal court, one that had cowed many of her political rivals into silence.

Alice VII's gaze softened slightly and she continued, "You have to understand, Mary. Sometimes it's necessary to be hard on others in order to achieve the best outcome."

Mary kept her eyes downcast and sulked quietly. Alice VII gave a long-suffering sigh.

"And that brings me to the reason I called you here today. I've allowed you considerable freedom so far. Too much freedom, in fact. You barely pay any attention to your studies and, as a result, you know very little about being a Monster Lord."

"Oh come on, I know I'm a bit lazy, but it's not _that_ bad." Mary said.

"Then explain to me, Mary, why there are tensions between the plants and insects of Plansect Village," Alice VII demanded. "It has been an issue for quite some time now, and you should have been taught about this in detail."

"Oh! Uh, it's because… it's because there were these two lovers, a plant and an insect, and they went through a bad breakup! Then they both blamed each other, and it snowballed into the two races hating each other!" Mary said quickly.

Alice VII blinked, then brought a hand to her forehead.

"No. No, that's not how it happened at all," Alice VII said. "That… particular incident… was just the catalyst for the most recent war between the two factions. Something as minor as that would _not_ have led to war without a host of other factors. Disputes over territory are one of the major factors. Both of the races are highly fertile and hence have large populations, which naturally leads to… "

Mary's eyes glazed over, a fact that did not escape her mother's attention. Alice VII clapped her hands, shocking Mary back to attention.

"Mary… are you deliberately _trying_ to anger me?" Alice VII asked.

"What? No!" Mary snapped back. "It's just that, uhh… "

Alice VII sighed again. "At the very least, this is something that you should definitely know. If you are ignorant of even this much, how can you expect to fulfil your duties as – "

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Distracted by the current argument, neither Alice VII nor Mary were able to respond for the moment. The door opened and the newcomer walked in.

The newcomer was Dinah, Alice VII's second daughter and Mary's younger sister. She resembled her sister in many ways, though her hair was platinum blonde in contrast to Mary's golden blonde. She wore a black evening dress, decorated with gold ornaments and roses of various colours, and opera gloves. Underneath her human arms, a pair of insectoid limbs emerged from holes in the sides of her dress.

As she approached her family, Dinah said, "What, finished arguing already? That's a shame. I'm pretty sure there's a few people on the other side of the castle who haven't heard you."

"Why don't you go fuck an angel!" Mary spat out.

"Language, Mary," Alice VII said. "But this is good timing. Mary – "

"Spare me the lecture, mother," Mary said, rolling her eyes. "Yes, Dinah's ten times better than me at politics and diplomacy and bureaucracy and everything else – "

" _Only_ ten times better? That's a bit of an underestimate, don't you think?" Dinah said.

" – So why not just make _her_ your successor, then?" Mary finished.

"It doesn't work that way, Mary," Alice VII said.

"And why not!?" Mary shouted, frustrated. "Why does it always have to fall upon the eldest child? Why can't thrones be inherited by the people who actually _want_ them?"

For a moment, Alice VII couldn't find the words to answer.

"Quit complaining, idiot," Dinah said. "If you just bothered putting effort into studying for once, instead of wasting all your time on parties – "

"That has nothing to do with – "

"Enough."

With that firm declaration, the two squabbling sisters immediately froze.

"Where to begin… first of all, Mary, it's not entirely true that the eldest child must always inherit. There are many systems of inheritance around the world, such as those where the most skilled child is chosen as heir. There are also societies where leadership is not passed down through families. You should also already know such things," Alice VII finished pointedly.

Mary rolled her eyes again. "Then why do we have to go along with the tradition? In the first place, the position of Monster Lord goes to the strongest monster, so again, why does the eldest child have to be the one to try for it?"

"Well – "

"And you're the Monster Lord!" Mary said. "Why can't you just change the stupid rule yourself?"

Dinah laughed bitterly at this. "Wow," she said. "I always knew you were an idiot, but I never thought that you were _this_ stupid. Being the Monster Lord doesn't mean that you get to do anything you want. Unless, that is, you're fine with making everyone angry at you. But if you want to get knifed in your sleep, then who am I to stop you?"

If hatred had physical force, then the glare that Mary shot at her sister would have killed the latter a dozen times over.

"Really?" Mary asked angrily. "Then why don't you be the Monster Lord, miss-know-it-all!"

"I might as well!" Dinah snapped back. "If the likes of you were to become the Monster Lord, monster society would collapse in a week!"

Before the argument could escalate to physical violence, Alice VII laid a firm hand on both of her daughters' shoulders and transfixed them with a glare of her own.

"This is the _third_ time this month," Alice VII growled. "I'm not demanding that you two always get along, but could you at least learn to stay in the same room for _five minutes_ without trying to tear each other's faces off?"

The tense atmosphere lingered for quite some time. If someone of average willpower had entered the room, they would have fainted on the spot. Eventually, the three powerful monsters relaxed.

"At this rate, we'll never get anywhere," Alice VII said, resigned. "I didn't want to do this, but… considering the circumstances, it's the best course of action."

"What are you talking about?" Mary asked, a touch of dread in her voice.

"Wait, you're not actually thinking of…" Dinah said.

"First of all, Mary, you will still be my successor," Alice VII began. "That much will not change. However…" The Monster Lord trailed off for a moment, slightly distressed, before continuing, "I've come to the conclusion that I've been approaching your education in the wrong way. Everyone has their own approach to their learning, and some are more… unconventional… than most. Trying to force you to learn through the usual means will only be counterproductive. That, at least, is something that we can all agree upon."

Alice VII took a deep breath. Her daughters had momentarily forgotten their mutual hatred and were listening intently to her every word.

"Mary, you have a unique talent and passion for understanding people, by opening up your heart to them and having them open up as well. So I've decided it would be best for you to learn through indulging that passion. Rather than trying to remember facts recited from books, you should travel around the world and understand the people who build it. I believe that this is the ideal way for you to learn."

There was a stunned silence, which Dinah eventually broke. "What are you saying, mother? You want this – this disgrace to the family to go on a world trip? She'd end up dead within a week, or somehow find a way to start a war, or – "

"I haven't finished, Dinah," Alice VII said sternly. "I'm not suggesting that Mary go around as the future Monster Lord. That would also be counterproductive. Instead, I'd like her to travel while disguised as a human."

"What?" Mary and Dinah said in unison.

"You heard me correctly." Alice VII sighed, glancing away from her daughters. "The truth is there's more than one purpose to this journey. For quite some time, I've been attempting to improve our relations with the humans. But my efforts have been hampered by the fact that we still don't know much about them. The human ambassadors do meet with ours, a few times each year, but that only gives a brief glimpse into the attitudes of humans towards our kind. What does the baker or the fisherman or the merchant think about monsters? I simply don't know. And that's what I'd like you to find out," the Monster Lord finished, looking her elder daughter in the eye.

Mary was silent. While she had casually shirked her responsibilities in the past, the weight of this task could not be discarded so easily.

"But – but can Mary really keep up that kind of disguise?" Dinah asked. "Even if she usually goes around in a human form, that doesn't mean she can convincingly act like one."

The Monster Lord and her younger daughter looked at Mary, in her dress that wouldn't have looked out of place on someone ten years younger. The point did not require further elaboration.

Before Mary could try and rip her sister to shreds, Alice VII quickly said, "I think your sister won't have as much trouble as you think, Dinah. Do you remember, roughly six months ago, when a human ambassador came to this castle?"

"I remember, it was the first time something like happened in years. When he was leaving, I remember that he was smiling, almost at the point of laughing," Dinah said. She then blinked and stared at her sister. "Wait – that was _you_?"

"Of course it was me, idiot," Mary said, barely bothering to suppress the smugness in her voice.

"Wha – how?"

"Well, I noticed that Peter – that's the ambassador's name – seemed a little unhappy when he came here," Mary rattled off excitedly. "The way he was walking and looking around, it reminded me of that time Cassy's pet cat died – "

"Wait, who's Cassy?" Dinah asked.

"She's a guard assigned to the west gate, a succubus from Remina – how come you don't know who she is?" Mary said.

"I'm sorry, I don't make a habit of remembering the name of every single person I see," Dinah retorted.

"You – " Mary growled, before being warned by a single look from her mother. "Fine, I'll get back to the story. Anyway, to keep it short, I talked to Peter, and eventually learned that his beloved dog had died just a week before. I tried cheering him up, and I tried all sorts of things, and eventually I told him that his dog had gone to a better place, to a farm where he now has lots of room to run around."

"…You said _what_?" Dinah asked in disbelief.

"And then Peter burst out laughing!" Mary said. "It took him several minutes to stop. Then he explained that humans also had that saying, to tell their kids when their dog dies, and he couldn't believe that he would hear it here."

By now, Dinah was too stunned to put two words together.

"So one thing led to another, and we started talking about some of the other similarities between monster and human culture, and Peter was really interested in the kinds of pets that only we have, and in the end he left the castle a lot happier than before!" Mary finished.

…And then Dinah was shocked back into action. She said, "So you're telling me that you made the human ambassador laugh _by accident_? You could have just as easily angered him, and then our relations with the humans would be – "

Alice VII raised a hand to prevent the argument escalating again. "That's just one example out of many. It would take the rest of the day to list them all. In any case, that's just one half of the point I was trying to make. The other half, arguably the more important, is that humans have much in common with our kind. In particular, both of our races comprise a diverse range of people, including those who are…" Alice VII trailed off, straining her diplomatic skills to the limit to choose her next words carefully, " _eccentric_ like Mary. I therefore believe that she won't stand out as much as you think."

Dinah had many, many things that she wanted to say in response. After looking at her mother's face, she decided that now was not the best time.

"But ultimately, the decision is up to you, Mary," Alice VII said. "If you don't want to – "

"I'll do it," Mary said, conviction in her eyes. "You don't have to say anything more, mother. I'll do it."

"Are – are you certain about this, Mary?" Alice VII said. "Just to be clear, this would not simply be a pleasant trip around the world. Even if there aren't any wars right now, you would still be visiting some of the most dangerous areas in the world. If your disguise were to be seen through, there are plenty of humans who would attack you. And, to my regret, there are plenty of monsters who would try to kill you regardless of whether your disguise holds."

"I can take care of myself," Mary said. Neither her mother nor her sister tried to dispute her claim.

"In addition to that, this journey would be longer than anything you've ever done before," Alice VII said. "It would last months at the very least, potentially over a year. True, you would still keep in regular contact with us, but – "

"I said I'd be fine, mother," Mary said impatiently. "And no offence to you, but there's a few people in this castle that I'd like to get away from."

Just as Mary and Dinah began to glare at each other, Alice VII struck the table to forcibly bring their attention back to her. The Monster Lord took a deep breath.

"Alright, then. If that is truly what you want… then there's no need to press the point further."

The rest of the discussion went by quickly. Alice VII told her daughter to contact her at least once a week, gave her a list of tips on how to stay in disguise, and emphasised that she was not, under any circumstances, to meddle in major events. She devoted special attention to that last point, repeating it to the point that Mary would never forget it, even if she forgot all the rest.

Mary left the room with a slight spring in her step. Once she was gone, Dinah looked at her mother nervously.

"Do you seriously think this is a good idea?" Dinah asked.

Alice VII was silent for a while. Eventually, she replied, "I don't know. To be honest… I'm in half a mind to go right now and tell Mary that this was all a joke, that she should just stay here."

"But you haven't got any other options," Dinah said. "And I can't think of any either. This idea, of yours, as crazy as it sounds, might be the only way for her to learn what she needs to, well, function in society. Still, I'm worried about her. She might be good at fighting in a technical sense, but do you really think that she knows what to do in a real battle? I'm not exactly one to talk, but she's never been in a situation where her life was in danger. Would she even realize it if she actually got into trouble?"

"I – I don't know," Alice VII said hesitantly.

Alice VII rose from her chair and began to pace the room. Keeping her face downcast, she said, "Did I ever tell you this before? The reason why I've been so distant with you two, my daughters. It's not because I wanted to. It's because, to be blunt, I simply don't understand how to be a parent."

"Mother – "

"I'm perfectly at home in the field of politics, yet when it comes to family, I'm completely lost," Alice VII said bitterly. "The funny thing is… in the past, I was a lot like Mary. My idea of what a family was like also came from stories. I thought that everyone in a family automatically knows their role. I thought that harmony was the natural state, and only external forces could make a family dysfunctional."

Alice VII laughed, a hollow sound devoid of any joy. "Then I had Mary… and I realized what an utter fool I was. Now, two decades later, I still know less about being a mother than Mary knows about being a Monster Lord. And now, I've sent her away, away from her home and everyone she knows, because I failed her as a mother."

"No, that's not true!" Dinah said. "That's – you – my mind's a mess and I can't think of the words right now, but you definitely haven't failed either of us!"

Alice VII moved in and pulled her daughter into a hug. "Thank you, Dinah," she said. "That does make me feel a little better. Still… I can only hope that you're right."

-ooo-

Meanwhile, Mary was in her room, busy with her preparations.

First of all, she needed to decide what to wear. To Mary, this was one of the most important decisions in the day. After all, clothing didn't just affect how a person was seen by others, it also affected how the wearer saw themselves. But her usual outfit clearly wouldn't do for this kind of mission. No, she definitely needed to pay close attention to this.

Fortunately, Mary had a helper for this: Ran, Sara's older sister, widely considered the leading expert on fashion in the Monster Lord's Castle.

Mary disrobed and tried out outfit after outfit.

First, she put on a brown shirt and gloves, black pants and belt, and a maroon cape. In a story that was popular recently, this was the clothing worn by a young hero who saved the world and ended up marrying a Monster Lord.

"Mmm, no, milady, this won't do at all. This style would be more suited to a man, especially a young-looking one. Try again."

Next, Mary tried on something much skimpier. A two-piece outfit with a floral motif, black with light purple trim. It left her arms, legs, abdomen and cleavage exposed.

"Well… no. It does suit your figure very well, but it simply isn't viable. On a practical level, no human would wear this for travelling, their skin would get torn to shreds within minutes. And on a fashionable level, I feel that this outfit would work best if you had a different skin colour and more monstrous features, which obviously isn't an option for what you're planning."

"Oh, but come on, isn't it pretty?" Mary said teasingly, folding her arms beneath her breasts to slightly push them up.

Ran felt her heart skip a few beats at the sight, but as a maid of the royal family, she quickly regained her composure. "Please take this seriously, milady," she said.

"All right, fine," Mary said, pouting.

After half a dozen more outfits, they finally settled on something suitable. Mary was now wearing a long green dress with an orange sash, and orange gloves and cape. On her head she had a black pointed hat decorated with a rabbit accessory and with a green band just above the brim. Her long hair was tied up at the back to keep it out of the way. Overall, it was a style favoured by travelling human mages.

As Ran was helping her put everything in place, Mary suddenly hopped to the side and picked up a teddy bear from a tiny bed next to her own.

"Milady… do you _really_ need to bring Beary with you?" Ran asked.

"Of course I do, Ran, otherwise I'd get lonely," Mary said casually. She rummaged around a cupboard containing a variety of teddy bear-sized clothing, eventually picking up a purple hat that matched her own. She fitted it snugly over Beary's head.

"There!" Mary said. "Now, we just need to start packing – "

The door flew open with a bang and Dinah barged in. She looked disdainfully at her sister and said, "Seriously? Don't tell me you've spent all this time picking out what you're going to wear."

"What? Don't be ridiculous! I've already started packing!" Mary retorted, while holding a clearly empty bag.

"Seriously, do you even have any idea – no, of course you don't," Dinah said. She turned to Ran and said, "You can leave now, I think it would be best if my sister makes her preparations on her own."

Ran needed no further encouragement, quickly scurrying out of the room.

While keeping her eyes averted, Dinah told Mary, "Anyway, the only reason I'm here is _this_."

Dinah thrust a wooden staff at Mary's face, stopping just before making contact.

"You can use this on your journey," Dinah said. "What, don't tell me that you were planning on just going around and casting magic without any tools? You'd get discovered in an instant, you idiot."

Mary accepted the staff and twirled it around. It was slightly longer than her arm and was tipped with a round blue crystal.

"Hmm, not bad," Mary said. "I guess, once in a while, even someone like you can be useful."

Her face furrowed with anger, Dinah suddenly swung the scythe-like blade on one of her insectoid limbs. Mary simply raised an arm to intercept the attack, maintaining a relaxed expression the entire time. The blade cut into her skin and drew blood, but couldn't penetrate any further. Dinah pulled back her arm and headed towards the door.

"You – just to be clear, this isn't for you!" Dinah shouted. "This is just so you don't embarrass our family or get yourself killed!"

After saying that, she left the room in a huff. Mary stuck her tongue out at her, then briefly inspected her own wound. While she wasn't very good at using white magic, the bleeding had already stopped. The wound would be completely healed within the hour. Mary wiped off the blood with a rag and got back to work.

Mary packed everything she would need and a few things that she didn't. She stuffed anything she might need to use at short notice, such as food, tableware and several changes of clothing, into a travelling bag that was carried on the shoulder. Everything else went into a large cabinet which was slightly taller than Mary and easily three or four times wider. Once it was full, she tapped the cabinet and it shrunk down until it could comfortably fit on her palm. This cabinet was a masterpiece of space-time magic, an expensive form of storage that took years of effort to produce. Mary shoved it into the already-packed bag. Finally, she picked up Beary and carefully surrounded it with an invisible bubble of force. The teddy bear floated in the air, following Mary around wherever she went.

 _Hmm, that should be everything_ , Mary thought. _I can't think of anything else – ah, hang on! I haven't thought of a name yet._

Mary slapped herself. There was no way she could simply go around using her real name, after all. Even if she was in disguise, other monsters might be suspicious if they heard the name of the Monster Lord's daughter.

 _But what to do… I'm not any good at thinking of names… When I tried suggesting names for Mina's baby, they all just laughed at me…_

Holding her head, Mary wracked her brains for possible names. But no matter how much she thought about it, nothing suitable came to mind. Eventually, she slumped onto her bed in exhaustion.

 _Uhhh… I can't believe I'm stuck on something like this. Maybe I could ask – no, they'd just laugh themselves to death._

Mary's gaze wandered around the room, while her thoughts wandered in the same manner.

 _'Alipheese Fateburn'… it's an imposing name, but one that every monster and many humans know. 'Alice' is also a nice name, though plenty of people would still find it suspicious._

Mary's eyes fell upon a vase of flowers by the door. A bouquet of alstroemerias, with pink petals streaked with black.

 _Hmm… come to think of it, when a character in a story has to come up with a fake name, they often use something near them. But 'Alstroemeria' on its own is too simple._

Mary rolled around on the bed for a few moments before finally having an epiphany.

"I know, 'Alicetroemeria'! That's a great name!"


	3. Chapter 2: Hero's Introduction

**AN: It's a bit later than expected, but here's a chapter for the New Year. Here the second of our two main characters, Heinrich, is introduced. For this series I'm experimenting with my writing style: the chapters will alternate between Alicetroemeria's and Heinrich's viewpoints.**

 **UPDATE 7/1/2018: Edited chapter slightly to include a description of Heinrich's appearance**

 **UPDATE 23/8/2018: Edited to add another sentence to Alicetreoemeria's initial description**

* * *

In the depths of the forest, a young man swung around a branch as if it were a sword.

Slashing, thrusting, dozens of times, hundreds of times.

The movements followed no known style, betraying his lack of formal teaching. Yet they weren't those of a complete amateur, either. Years of experience, sneaking into the forest whenever he had the time, had taught him how to swing with speed and efficiency. Now, he could swing over one hundred times in a row and still have energy to spare.

Yet the young man wasn't the son of a soldier, training in his father's footsteps. He was an orphan raised by the church of Ilias, one of many. His name was simply Heinrich – orphans like him didn't receive first names.

Heinrich had a slightly unusual appearance. To begin with, he was shorter than most and had a childish-looking face. He had short purple hair and light blue eyes, neither of which was common in the region. This appearance was one of several things that isolated Heinrich from other people.

After completing his current routine, Heinrich decided to move on to the next one. First, he selected a thick and sturdy tree. Then he raised the branch, took a deep breath, and swung. The sound of the blow echoed through the forest. Heinrich exhaled, drew back the branch, and swung again.

It was painful, certainly, but the pain was necessary. Air obviously offered no resistance, but a true opponent would not be the same. Heinrich had to train himself to deal with it.

After fifty or so strikes, the branch finally snapped. Heinrich let the fragments slip from his hands. He picked up a waterskin and took a deep drink. After quenching his thirst, Heinrich lay down on the ground, finally letting his tired body relax.

As he relaxed, Heinrich allowed his mind to wander. He first thought about whether he had the time to continue training. There was still plenty of daylight left, but he had to return within the hour to finish his duties for the day. Heinrich didn't have a proper trade of his own. Instead, he worked for anyone who currently needed help, in exchange for meals and a place to sleep for the night.

Heinrich then turned his thoughts towards obtaining another branch for practice. The task was more difficult than it seemed, as the branch would need to be similar in length, thickness and weight distribution, or it would simply throw off his balance. There was a little time left today, so Heinrich decided to spend it finding a new branch in order to maximise the time available for training tomorrow.

Just as he made that decision, Heinrich noticed a change in the sounds of the forest. Among the calls of animals and the rustling of vegetation in the breeze, there was the distinct sound of footsteps. It was faint at first but grew louder by the second.

Heinrich jumped to his feet. The disturbance was unlikely to be caused by another person, as Heinrich deliberately chose distant and isolated locations for his training. It wouldn't be a wolf or bear or some other predator, as no predator would be this noisy. It could be a prey animal running away from a predator, which could still be dangerous as it might run over him in its panic. Regardless, Heinrich needed a weapon. He grabbed the nearest branch of suitable size, not having time to be picky.

The source of the sound continued approaching. Now Heinrich could see the foliage shaking. He raised the branch and clenched his teeth.

The bushes split apart and revealed… a teenage girl. She was perhaps fifteen or sixteen years old, with short hair and skin freckled by exposure to the sun. Both her skin and the simple tunic she wore were torn and bloodied from her reckless running.

Heinrich froze at the unexpected sight.

The girl continued running with all her might, not even noticing the person in front of her. It was clear that she was on the last dregs of her stamina: her breathing consisted of choked gasps, while her unsteady gait suggested that she might trip over any moment.

At her current pace, the girl would run straight past Heinrich. The young man quickly called out to her, "Wait!" The girl noticed him and tried to slow down, but in her exhaustion almost fell to the ground. Heinrich rushed in to stop her fall and almost collapsed at the sudden weight on his arms.

 _What's going on?_ Heinrich thought. _Hold on, I recognise her. Isn't she the daughter of farmer Benjamin_ – _I think her name was Ellen?_

"What's – what's wrong?" Heinrich asked. "Why are you – "

Ellen had to take several deep breaths before she could speak. "Help me – they're almost – "

In the distance, Heinrich could see and hear more people approaching. A dozen possible actions raced through his mind, none of them good.

Climb up a tree and hide in the foliage? No, Ellen was too exhausted for them to make it in time. On top of that, the foliage of the trees around here was too sparse to safely hide a person.

Run to the side and hide behind a tree, hoping that the pursuers would miss them? No, they also didn't have the time for that.

Hide among one of the bushes on the ground? There were a few of those nearby, but it still wouldn't be certain protection.

Heinrich frantically looked around and spotted a nearby tree with a tangled mess of roots. After a closer look, he realized that the two of them could fit inside and be almost completely concealed.

"Look, we can hide in there!" Heinrich said.

The two of them squeezed into the roots of the tree. With hearts pounding in terror, they waited for the pursuers to pass.

Heinrich and Ellen could now clearly hear the approaching footsteps. They could see the legs of perhaps a dozen men through the gaps in the roots. The men wore clothing that was tattered and stained with mud, and thus blended in well with the forest environment. All of the men were armed – Heinrich could make out the shapes of spears, axes and daggers.

 _Bandits,_ Heinrich thought.

The bandits slowed to a stop near the tree where the two were hiding. Heinrich tightened his grip on the branch, but then remembered his position, his inexperience.

 _What the hell am I thinking? There's no way that I can do anything with this._

For a period of time, the bandits were silent. It couldn't have been more than ten seconds, but it was an excruciating eternity for Heinrich and Ellen. Finally, some of the bandits began to speak.

"There's nothing here. We must have lost them!"

"Damn it. That girl looked like she would have been a good fuck."

"Eh, you can't always get what you want."

"Let's move on. If we're lucky, we'll find someone else today."

The bandits began to walk away. Heinrich and Ellen both sighed in relief…

…only for their hopes to be cruelly betrayed.

Suddenly, mocking laughter filled the air. Then a spear stabbed into the earth immediately in front of the opening to the root network.

"Get out!"

Heinrich and Ellen froze in shock. Neither of them was able to respond to the command.

"I said, get out, unless you want to be turned into pincushions."

With their entire bodies trembling, the two youths left their attempted hiding place. They were surrounded on all sides by the bandits, who were grinning widely. Though their postures were relaxed, Heinrich didn't dare to try and break through their encirclement. The branch in his hand seemed to be worth less than a child's toy.

One of the bandits began clapping sarcastically and the others soon joined in. The sound was like a dozen knives, piercing into their hearts and cruelly twisting.

"Well, well, well. Thought you'd play the hero, boy? But you didn't exactly think of everything."

The man who seemed to be the bandit leader snickered as he said that. He pointed at the ground, at the footprints clearly leading towards the base of the tree.

 _Damn it,_ Heinrich cursed. _I actually forgot about – and on top of that, I didn't even get the hint when they said "We must have lost_ them _". What can I even do now!?_

The bandit leader reached to his hip and drew a sword. It wasn't particularly large or decorated, but neither was it rusty from lack of maintenance. It was a weapon made solely for killing.

"Well, it's been fun messing with your heads, but time to put this to an end," the bandit leader said. "First of all, I just want you to know that we aren't cruel men – "

The other bandits could not stop themselves snickering at this.

"Come on, now, you all know I'm right!" The bandit leader said with mock outrage. "Anyway, the point is that we prefer not to get into more trouble than necessary. Boy, if you're willing to just walk away and forget we were ever here, then we won't stop you, and nobody here gets hurt."

Heinrich looked around at the bandits, all of whom were bigger than him and had proper weapons. In his mind, he laughed bitterly at the offer.

Ellen, though still clearly terrified, now had a look of resignation on her face. She made as if to step forward, only for Heinrich to extend his arm to block her way. However, Heinrich was shaking just as much as she was.

The bandits broke into another peal of laughter. Their leader hardened his expression slightly.

"Don't be stupid, kid," he said. "My group and I might not be cruel, but that doesn't mean we have unlimited patience. While you're brave, and I admire that – "

"Are you threatening him, or coming onto him, Marcus?" One of the other bandits jeered.

" – You won't accomplish anything like this," Marcus continued. He paused and decided to take a different direction. "Think of it like this. If you try and be an idiot here, you die, and you never accomplish anything. If you're smart, on the other hand, you get to live another day, maybe get to save another girl. Now, to me that sounds like a good deal."

Heinrich considered the offer for an entire second. He responded, "Fuck off."

Yet again, most of the bandits laughed. A couple of them actually held onto trees to support themselves.

Marcus sighed and said, "Clearly I would never have made it as a public speaker. Can't be good at everything, I guess."

One moment, Heinrich was holding his branch in his shaking hands. Then in the blink of an eye, the branch had been knocked away. Only a change in the position of Marcus' arm and sword hinted at what had happened. Heinrich was too surprised by the attack to even cry out.

"Sorry, boy," Marcus said, no emotion in his face. "Nothing personal."

The next few moments were a blur of motion. A gust of wind appeared from nowhere and hit Marcus from the side, blasting him and several other bandits to the ground. Then something leapt in to the middle of the group, grabbed Heinrich and Ellen, and leapt out.

By the time any of them realized what had happened, the bandits' would-be victims were being gently deposited on the ground, almost twenty metres away. The bandits frantically whirled around to face the newcomer.

The newcomer was a woman with a disarmingly strange appearance. The least conspicuous parts of her were her golden blonde hair and red eyes. Her outfit was similar to that of a travelling mage - long dress, pointed hat and wooden staff – but her dress had an opening in front that exposed her cleavage. It was as if her dress had been picked out by someone trying to emulate human fashions but not fully understanding them. Additionally, she was holding her staff in one hand in a carefree manner. Any mage worthy of the name would use both hands when in a combat situation – in fact, anyone with common sense would know that a long tool should be used with both hands.

The strange mage pointed her staff at the bandits and declared, "Listen well, evildoers! You think that you can just prey on the weak, that there's no one willing to stop you? Think again! Because – "

"Why, you – " Marcus growled as he got back to his feet.

" – I'm here! And I'm not the only one willing to stand in the way of people like you! So carve this into your hearts – "

"Will you listen to me already!?" Marcus yelled. He snatched up his sword and brandished it. "I don't know who you are, and I don't fucking care! You'll die for this!"

The mage put her hands on her hips and pouted. "Hey, didn't your mother tell you it's rude to interrupt other people when they're speaking?"

Marcus' face turned crimson with rage and frustration. "What the – you interrupted me when I was speaking!"

"Yes, that's _technically_ true, but you were the one who interrupted me first, it doesn't count," the mage said. "Anyway, let me finish first. So carve this into your – "

"Shut up!" Marcus said. "Looks like you're even more of an idiot than that brat over there. You wasted your surprise, so now you're finished! Spread out, men!"

Without hesitation, the bandits scattered and took cover behind the trees.

Heinrich attempted to get up, but the mage stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Just wait here," the mage said, winking at Heinrich. "I can handle this."

She then turned to the bandits again and proclaimed, "Carve this into your hearts! There are heroes in the world, and people like you will never win in the end!"

"Cut it out already!" Marcus shouted back. "Do you think you can't lose just because you have a bit of magic? We know how to handle mages! If you had used the advantage of surprise properly, you might have won, but now you're finished!"

One of the bandits aimed a bow at the mage and fired. Heinrich noticed it but didn't even have the time for a warning.

The arrow shot towards the mage, only to be caught tightly in her free hand. The mage casually snapped the arrow in half. She then slammed the bottom of her staff on the ground. A large expanse of earth, stretching from the staff to encompass all of the bandits, suddenly had the consistency of freshly-kneaded dough. The bandits sank into the ground and lost their balance.

Heinrich stared at the spectacle. Grown men flailing about in the dirt, like children playing after rain. In a less tense situation, he might have laughed.

The mage twirled her staff around. "Okay, let me make things clear," she said. "I'm not going to be losing at anything, and no one here is going to die. So why don't we all just calm down and have a nice chat?"

Marcus glared at the mage. "Who the hell are you?" he spat out. "That kind of power – don't tell me you're a royal mage? What is someone like you doing all the way out here?"

"What? Don't be ridiculous!" The mage replied. "I'm just an ordinary human mage. There's only one reason I'm here – to stop you from hurting these two and to make you all realize the error of your ways!"

Everyone else present was shocked and confused by these words. The mage didn't seem to care about this and began walking toward the bandits. As she did so, the ground returned to its normal consistency.

"Listen carefully," the mage said, using the tone of a mother lecturing her child. "I know that you've probably had really poor luck to fall to this level. But robbing and killing others isn't going to help you improve your lives."

Marcus' eye twitched. He retorted, "But it keeps us fed. What else do you expect of thugs like us who only know how to beat people up? Spare me the moral crap."

The mage sighed exaggeratedly. "You could try becoming soldiers," she said.

"Couple of us _have_ tried," Marcus said. "They either failed training or got kicked out thanks to this damned peace."

The mage was now a couple of arm-lengths away from the bandits. "But still, if you tried applying yourselves – "

Marcus charged forward and attacked the mage, accompanied by his allies.

Not one of their attacks landed.

There was another blur of motion, a brief tussle of limbs and sharpened steel. Then all of the bandits were lying disoriented on the ground while their weapons were scattered around haphazardly. The mage was holding Marcus' sword and looked mildly disappointed.

"Really?" She said. "Did you really think that would work, when I took your hostages away right from the start, without breaking a sweat? I told you, didn't I? I'm not going to lose here, and nobody here's going to die."

The mage leaned down and grasped Marcus by the collar. She casually pulled him into a sitting position with one hand. She said, "So listen carefully, because I'm not going to repeat this. Stop your crimes right now and live honest lives. Or I'll find you again. Okay?"

The mage accompanied this command by snapping the sword in two, using just the fingers of her left hand. Marcus frantically nodded and the mage released him. The bandits fled as if pursued by ravenous monsters.

Once the sounds of the bandits were gone, the mage returned to the two people she saved.

"Are you alright? Are either of you seriously hurt?" The mage asked. When Heinrich and Ellen shook their heads, the mage breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. Sorry, I'm not all that good at white magic. But I should still be able to – hold still for a moment."

The mage waved her staff and droplets of clear water condensed out of the air. With additional movements of the staff, she directed the water to gently wash away the filth on Ellen's body.

"There, that should reduce the chances of infection," the mage said. "Still, it would be a good idea for you to rest for a few days." Then the mage blinked. "Wait, what am I even doing? I can't just call you 'you'! What's your name?"

"My – my name is Ellen," Ellen said.

"And I'm Heinrich. Just Heinrich," Heinrich said.

"And I'm – oh crap, I can't believe I forgot to introduce myself first!" The mage lamented. She grabbed a nearby tree and began hitting it with her head, repeatedly. She then turned back to Heinrich and Ellen and continued as if nothing had happened, "Anyway, carve my name into your hearts, because it's going to be great! My name is… Alicetroemeria!"

There was a pause, a period of silence in which Heinrich and Ellen stood still and wondered if they'd misheard. Alicetroemeria maintained a proud expression the entire time.

"That's… that's a… nice name," Ellen said.

"It's a weird name," Heinrich said. As soon as those words left his lips, he realized his lack of tactfulness and was seized by horror.

Alicetroemeria was completely frozen in place. Ellen frantically gestured for Heinrich to apologise for his mistake. Heinrich blustered and stammered as he tried to think of something, anything, that could possibly make up for this.

Then Alicetroemeria grabbed Heinrich's shoulders and looked him intently in the eye. "T-tell me honestly, without leaving anything out, just what exactly is so weird about it!?" She demanded. Since she was taller than him and had an impressive amount of strength in her fingers, Heinrich was too intimidated to do anything but respond.

"Huh? Ah, it's – well it's something I've never heard before, it's long and hard to say, and it sounds like it was made by mashing two words together!"

Upon hearing this, Alicetroemeria took her hands away and began walking unsteadily to the side. Her face was torn between what looked like a dozen different emotions, all warring for dominance. Meanwhile, Heinrich wanted nothing more than to sink into the ground and suffocate to death.

Eventually, Alicetroemeria slapped herself and abruptly turned towards the other two. With a smile that was slightly too wide, she said, "Alright, enough about me! You two are the ones in need of help. Where did you come from?"

Heinrich and Ellen were caught off guard, but upon seeing Alicetroemeria's manic expression, they simultaneously and independently came to the conclusion that they shouldn't press the issue further.

"Well, I'm the daughter of a farmer who lives near here. I was out looking for mushrooms in the forest when – when they came after me," Ellen said, shivering as she finished these words.

"And I'm – I'm an orphan raised by the church," Heinrich said, a touch of shame in his voice. "I was out training when I heard her running from the bandits. Although I wasn't able to do anything – "

"Don't worry about it!" Alicetroemeria said, slapping Heinrich on the back with enough force to make him wince. "What matters is that you were brave enough to stand up for someone. That's the kind of stuff heroes are made of!"

"Wha – "

"But now isn't the time to stand around and chat, as much as I'd like to," Alicetroemeria said. "First, we need to get you home for medical care. We can talk about ourselves on the way. Let's go!"

The oddly-dressed mage clapped her hands and a large travelling pack flew out from some nearby bushes. Alicetroemeria caught it in one hand and strode off with a jaunty gait. Heinrich and Ellen stayed where they were, unable to keep up with the pace of the conversation.

Then Ellen realized something and called out, "Wait! Do you know which way to go?"

Alicetroemeria froze mid-step.

-ooo-

The three of them headed towards Benjamin's farm. Heinrich was nervous the entire time. Ever since he was born, his status as an orphan had created an invisible wall between him and most other people. This led to a self-perpetuating cycle where he preferred to minimise interaction with others, only strengthening his isolation.

As they walked, Alicetroemeria enthusiastically explained her story to the others. She was a black mage who had recently completed her qualifications. However, because she was too immersed in her studies, she didn't have much knowledge of the world outside her village. Other people had suggested that she go on a journey around the world to broaden her horizons. While she was travelling through this forest, she'd heard sounds of a commotion and decided to investigate.

"…And I wanted to jump in right away, but at that point you two were already surrounded. I remembered a lesson from my teacher – " Alicetroemeria said the next few words in a stern voice, "Mar – Alicetroemeria, when you come across an unfamiliar situation, always gather as much information as you can before taking action. Otherwise, you can easily end up making the situation worse.' So I waited at first, but then that guy went and knocked the branch out of your hands, so I decided that I had to do something," Alicetroemeria paused, though it didn't seem like she'd run out of breath from speaking so quickly. She bowed deeply towards Heinrich and Ellen. "Anyway, I'm sorry for not doing anything earlier."

"Oh, it's – it's fine," Ellen said quickly. "I'm just glad that you saved us."

"Hmm… But still, I – " Alicetroemeria began, only to stop and look into the distance. "Oh, it looks like we're nearly there!"

The other two looked in the same direction but could only see an endless sea of trees.

"Are you sure?" Ellen asked. "I can't see anything."

"Of course I'm sure!" Alicetroemeria replied. "You'll see it in just a moment."

It took perhaps thirty seconds for the other two to see the light signifying the edge of the forest. It took another thirty seconds for them to actually reach it.

Finally, they emerged from the forest and arrived at the farms surrounding the village of Finoa. Once the village was in sight, Ellen cried in relief. She pulled Alicetroemeria into a tight hug.

"Thank you… thank you so much."

Alicetroemeria rubbed Ellen's head. "Just doing what anyone would do."

Then Ellen turned to Heinrich and hugged him as well. "You too. Thanks for helping me."

Heinrich was paralysed by embarrassment and confusion. When Ellen let go of him, he stammered, "But – but I wasn't able to do… well, anything. I – "

"Didn't I already tell you?" Alicetroemeria said in a scolding tone. "What matters is that you tried."

Ellen nodded at this. Heinrich wasn't able to say anything further.

Alicetroemeria twirled her staff around as she continued, "Anyway, I'm sorry but I need to leave now. While I'd love to stay to chat, I need to be – er, somewhere else by nightfall, so I have to get going now!"

"What?" Ellen said. "Wait! You have to at least let me and my family thank you properly."

"Sorry, but I – what was it again?" For some reason, Alicetroemeria was flustered for a moment. Then she quickly continued, "Right, I need to get back on the road right away! Why don't you give Heinrich here twice as much thanks instead?"

"Wha – no!" Heinrich said reflexively. "That wouldn't be fair when you were the one who handled everything, and – and I also need to hurry as well, I've got my own work that I need to finish by today – "

Ellen looked at Alicetroemeria and Heinrich behaving in remarkably similar ways. She began giggling. She tried to suppress it at first, but couldn't help herself and ended up doubled over with laughter.

"Sorry – haha – but you're both so – " Ellen said. Upon seeing Alicetroemeria's childish pouting and Heinrich's embarrassment, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself. "Okay – okay – if you both have other things to do, then I won't force you. Again, thank you for saving me."

Ellen bowed and left.

Alicetroemeria then turned to Heinrich. "You really should have gone with her. I'm pretty sure that she was interested in you!"

"What? No way!" Heinrich said.

"Really? Are you sure? Because from what I saw…" Alicetroemeria continued teasingly, moving closer to Heinrich.

"Umm… err…" Heinrich was lost for words. Not only was his mind refusing to entertain the possibility of someone being interested in him, but he also realised that Alicetroemeria was actually quite beautiful. He hadn't realised it at first due to her childish behaviour, but she had smooth skin with symmetrical features, bright eyes that could capture anyone's attention, and a voluptuous figure that appealed to more primal instincts.

Alicetroemeria kept moving closer, while Heinrich stared backing away from her. After the two of them had moved five metres in this fashion, Alicetroemeria finally got the hint and stopped.

"Hmmmm… Well, anyway, you mentioned you were training in the forest?" Alicetroemeria said. "Why, exactly?"

 _What?_ Heinrich thought. _Just how on earth does your mind work? I can't keep track of what you're going to say next at all._

"Well, the reason is because I want to become stronger so that – so that I can become a hero," Heinrich said, looking downwards in embarrassment. "I want to become strong so that I can fight against people like those bandits, or against monsters if they try to attack this village."

When Heinrich said that, Alicetroemeria flinched ever so slightly. Before the young man could notice anything odd, Alicetroemeria quickly asked, "But why exactly do you want to follow this path? It sounds like you've been training for a while, but why are you so dedicated to this?"

"That's – well – "

"It's alright, you can tell me anything," Alicetroemeria said with a reassuring smile. "I'm not going to laugh."

Heinrich remained silent for a while. A mass of unpleasant thoughts rushed through his head.

"No," Heinrich said in a slightly forceful tone. "Sorry, but it isn't something I want to talk about."

"I see… Okay, I won't ask again," Alicetroemeria said. She touched her fingers to her chin in a thoughtful expression. "Hmm… If I remember correctly, I packed _that_ as well, but was it the second shelf or the third shelf?"

The eccentric mage took out a wooden object from her pack. She dropped it onto the ground and an entire cabinet suddenly appeared at that spot. Heinrich almost fell over in surprise.

"What the – "

"Hang on, hang on, I'm sure it's here somewhere," Alicetroemeria said while rummaging around in the cabinet. She eventually pulled out a short sword sheathed in a wooden scabbard.

"Found it! Here you go," Alicetroemeria said while holding out the sword to Heinrich. "This should help you a lot!"

Awed, Heinrich grasped the sword and slowly unsheathed it. To Heinrich's inexperienced eyes, the sword appeared even more impressive than it would have to an expert in the blade. The sword had a straight blade with two sharp edges. The polished steel was completely smooth and free of any imperfections. When Heinrich gently touched the edge he quickly pulled his finger back, having almost cut himself.

"I – I can't possibly accept something like this," Heinrich said, trying to give the sword back. "It – how much did a sword like this cost?"

"Oh, don't worry about it!" Alicetroemeria said casually. "You need a proper sword, and I don't know how to use one, so this is best for everybody! Here, take it!"

After some more pestering, Alicetroemeria managed to make Heinrich accept the sword.

"Now, is there anything _else_ I need to mention?" Alicetroemeria started thinking, showing visible strain from the effort. "I remember listening in on sword-fighting lessons once or twice… although I never paid that much attention. One thing I do remember is that you should be careful using real swords for practice. You should try and find something that has – what was the term again – the same weight distribution as this sword when you want to practice."

Alicetroemeria tapped the cabinet and it shrank down into what Heinrich now realised was a miniature version of itself. She stuffed it roughly back into the pack.

"What kind of magic is that?" Heinrich asked. "I've only heard of artifacts like that in stories, and they were rare and unusual even then."

"What, this?" Alicetroemeria said. "This is just a – a – uh, it's something that my teacher in magic made. She's really good at this kind of magic, although she can't really mass-produce them. Anyway, I have to go now. Good luck with your training!"

Alicetroemeria held her staff at hip height, parallel to the ground, and then let go. The staff remained in mid-air while Alicetroemeria sat on top of it with her legs facing sideways. She flew off and over the forest, waving at Heinrich just as she vanished from view.

Heinrich remained still as he watched the strange mage leave.

 _She was, without a doubt, the strangest person I've ever met. Still, her heart's in the right place… probably._


	4. Chapter 3: Their Journey Begins

**AN: I'm back at university now, so this will be the last time I can write a chapter this quickly. From now on, I'll try to get out at least one chapter per month, but I can't make any promises.**

 **UDPATE 20/11/18: Edited so that Mary is referred to by her birth name by the narration.**

* * *

After flying several hundred metres away from the village, Mary touched down. She flopped down on the grass and let out a sigh of relief.

 _I almost got caught a few times…_ Mary thought. _This is a lot harder than I thought it would be._

Mary grumbled internally as she remembered the day's events.

 _I never thought I would stand out that much. They were all looking at me like there was something odd about me. But there shouldn't be anything wrong with my disguise. Hrm. Maybe I should have listened to mother and observed humans from afar first. But still, I couldn't have just left them alone back then._

Meanwhile, Mary started to feel hungry. She decided that she would be able to think best with a full stomach.

After jumping to her feet, Mary looked around, listened to the sounds of the forest and sniffed the air.

 _There's a bird's nest with a couple of eggs up there, a few lizards scampering around under that rock, a squirrel sleeping in a tree hollow there, and – wait, is that what I think it is?_

Mary walked forward, but didn't pay any attention to where she was stepping. The sound of a snapping twig echoed through the air. Alerted, a large deer raised its head from the grass and caught sight of the young monster. It immediately ran away in fright.

 _If I want to be sneaky, I have to learn not to do things like that in the future. But that deer's got a lot of meat on its bones. And it isn't getting away from me!_

Mary started running. Within seconds, she had accelerated past speeds that humans could achieve and was as fast as a bird in flight. She didn't simply catch up with the deer, she casually overtook it. With a single punch, she shattered the deer's skull. Blood and brain tissue spilled out and splattered all over her face and clothing.

 _Well,_ Mary thought as she wiped her eyes. _That was a lot messier than I expected. Maybe I should have tried learning instant death spells – well, can't do anything about that now. Anyway, time for a late lunch!_

Licking her lips, Mary took out a knife and began preparing the deer in a manner that would make any hunter or butcher faint. When she skinned the deer, strips of flesh frequently came away with the skin, which she then proceeded to eat directly. When she gutted it, she accidentally managed to rupture the intestines and had to frantically cast water magic to wash the resulting filth off the flesh. Finally, she cooked the deer by roasting it with magical flame as slowly and carefully as she could, but without first cutting it into smaller pieces. As a result, the outside was charred black while the inside remained undercooked.

Mary tore ravenously into the deer, unable to suppress her hunger any longer. While her attempt at preparing the meat was abysmal, it wouldn't have any consequences for her later on. Monsters in general had strong stomachs that could digest raw meat, allowing them to live rough lives in the wilderness, and the line of the Fateburns had stronger stomachs than most. Mary stripped the bones clean of flesh, then cracked open the bones for the marrow.

 _Hmm… it tastes very different from the venison I've eaten in the Monster Lord's Castle. Is it just because it was prepared differently, or is it because it was something I prepared myself? A lot of people say that doing something yourself changes the experience._

While considering the philosophical implications of this, Mary finished off the entire deer. Despite eating more than her own apparent weight, Mary looked no different from before. But that was hardly surprising, given that her true form could have swallowed a full-grown horse with room to spare. Mary washed the gore off her clothing with a quick spell, then lay down and gazed lazily up at the sky.

Mary watched the clouds drift across the sky, slowly morphing from shape to shape. She listened to the songs of countless birds and the gentle rustling of the leaves in the wind. She breathed deeply, taking in the infinitely complex scent of nature, something she'd never experienced in the confines of the Monster Lord's Castle.

She spent a long time relaxing in this manner, not thinking about anything in particular. Eventually, she remembered that she had been sent on a mission, and lying around leisurely – as enjoyable as it was – wouldn't help her fulfil her goals. Mary was slightly annoyed at that, but she still jumped to her feet and headed back towards Finoa.

Once she reached the edge of the village, Mary searched for a spot that would provide a good vantage point while also keeping her hidden. She settled on a branch near the apex of a particularly tall tree, just behind the edge of the forest. Finally, she pulled out her teddy bear from her pack and set it down beside her.

"Alright, Beary, let's start _observing_!"

It was mid-afternoon and the sun was shining with no clouds to obstruct it. Despite the heat, the villagers were still toiling away. Out in the fields, farmers were diligently removing weeds and tending to their livestock. A stream ran along the east side of the village, where fishermen were catching fish using lines and nets. Lumberjacks visited the forest edge to cut down trees and haul loads of wood back to the village.

When Mary turned her eyes to the village itself, the first thing that came to mind was how fragile it looked. The houses were made of wood and straw, and all of them were small enough to fit into the average room of the Monster Lord's Castle. Many of the houses had small holes which were even now being patched up by villagers. There were only sixty or seventy houses in total.

The only other settlement Mary had seen, other than the Monster Lord's Castle, was the city of Remina. Its buildings were primarily made of stone and a single one of its districts could have encompassed several villages the size of Finoa. Another major difference was the population: while humans and monsters walked side-by-side on the streets of Remina, only humans could be seen in this village.

And that brought her to one of the main issues she was going to face. While Mary had seen humans in numbers like this before, they had all been accepting of monsters. But from the little she'd heard so far, things were definitely different around here. She couldn't afford to slack off on her disguise, so it would be best to spend more time on observation before trying to meet humans in person again.

 _But that'll make it harder to help people in need… If there's no other choice, I can always jump in and then get away as soon as possible. That should stop people getting too suspicious._

After seeing all that she could from her current position, Mary decided to move on. She leapt nimbly from branch to branch, circling around Finoa while remaining well hidden in the forest canopy. Naturally, she brought Beary along with her. She found a spot on the other side of the village that was a lot closer to the buildings, allowing her to better view the activities within.

The village was abuzz with activity. With a single glance, Mary could see the villagers engaged in all sorts of tasks: preparing food, making and repairing clothing, feeding chickens and collecting their eggs, brewing alcohol, and selling and buying goods. Even the children contributed, performing lighter duties such as cleaning and taking care of still younger children.

During her observations, Mary noticed a group of lumberjacks walking in her direction. She frantically looked around for a way to escape, but the men were already quite close to her position. She decided to pull in her limbs and make her profile as small as possible to minimise the chances of being noticed.

The lumberjacks stopped just a few metres from the base of the tree where Mary was hiding, allowing her to hear their conversation.

" – can't believe that actually happened."

"Seriously, what is the knight doing? To let bandits run around the countryside as they please…"

"Don't expect anything out of those idiots in armour. Remember what the elders always say? Knights don't care about what happens to the likes of us."

"Damn. But just how exactly did those two get away from the bandits?"

"That's the weird part. Apparently, there was this oddly-dressed mage who defeated all the bandits singlehandedly, only to leave without waiting for any reward."

Upon hearing this, Mary felt a touch of smug pride.

"There's no way that happened."

"Yeah, I thought it was suspicious too. Since it was that kid who was with her, I was wondering if – "

"No, that doesn't make any sense either. I get what you mean, but why would the girl go along with a wild story like that?"

"Then how exactly did they manage to escape a group of bandits? I'm telling you, we can't trust that kid – "

"Just to make things clear, there _were_ definitely bandits there," a new voice joined the conversation. "I was one of the people who went out to investigate, and we found footprints from at least a dozen men, along with signs of a struggle."

"What, really? Damn, what is this world coming to? At this rate, monsters are going to attack the village tomorrow."

"Come to think of it, the last batch of merchants to visit said that monsters were getting a lot more active recently. They're showing up in greater numbers and much closer to human villages than usual."

"What, really!? I wasn't actually serious!"

"It's all true. The elders have also proposed that any men with free time should patrol the village at night."

"Have they gone senile? What do they think a bunch of us with torches and pitchforks can do against bandits or monsters? If we were actually attacked, all of us would just get stabbed to death or eaten."

"I know. All we can do is pray to the Goddess Ilias for protection."

The men quietened down and focused on their work. Mary remained still as she thought about all she had heard.

Several hours passed. The lumberjacks cut down several of the smaller trees but fortunately didn't make it to the one where Mary was hiding. When the sun began setting, the lumberjacks stopped their work for the day and headed home. The other villagers also started returning to their homes.

When she was certain everyone was indoors, Mary jumped off and landed on the ground. She decided to take the opportunity to further investigate the village and so walked into the fields.

With the sun well below the horizon, the only light came from the stars and the crescent moon. But the darkness didn't hinder Mary in the slightest; she could easily make out the leaves of the trees. And even if there was no light at all, she could still have made her way around using her other senses.

As she proceeded through the fields, Mary bent down frequently to examine the crops. She recognised some of them, such as wheat, oats and barley, but others were unfamiliar to her. One odd thing she noticed was that a third of the fields didn't seem to have any crops planted, instead being overrun by weeds.

She walked closer to the village. Pigs and sheep were sleeping huddled together in their enclosures. When she saw the sleeping animals, Mary had to suppress a giggle at how funny they looked.

Mary approached one of the enclosures and leaned over the fence. The pigs looked like nothing more than enormous, fat, hairy sausages lying side by side. That thought naturally made Mary feel hungry again.

 _All that meat and fat, in nice, bite-sized packages – wait, what am I thinking!? I can't just steal them! But… they look so delicious…_

While lost in her delusions, Mary didn't notice one of the pigs snuffling and snorting as it woke up. The pig noticed the strange-smelling intruder and grunted in confusion.

 _Oh cra –_

Mary whirled around and ran as fast as her legs could carry her, holding on to her hat to stop it flying off.

Once she was deep in the forest, Mary slowed to a stop. She looked over her shoulder for any signs of pursuers.

 _Phew, no one noticed. That was close._

 _Anyway, it looks like there's nothing more for me to see today. The villagers went to bed pretty early – is human eyesight really that bad?_

Mary decided to go to sleep as well. She searched for a flat piece of ground, then pulled out a thick leather mat and set it down.

 _Well, it's definitely been an interesting day. If every day will be like this from now on – well, that's a little unlikely. Still, this journey is going to be the experience of a lifetime._

 _Now, is there anything else I need to do before going to bed? I'm still pretty close to a human village, so – wait, I need to set up an alarm in case someone gets close._

Mary scoured her brains for knowledge of the necessary spell. While it was one of the things that her mother had emphasised as being important, it wasn't something that she had paid much attention to.

 _Let's see, I mark out a big circle in the dirt like this, and then I mark out a five-pointed star inside – or was it a six-pointed star? Or – wait, I remember hearing that it was a seven-pointed star – or was that for another spell. Hmm… no, it was definitely a five-pointed star. Then I concentrate mana like this, and – voila! It's done!_

Mary grinned at her handiwork. Although she felt a strange sensation – similar to a rope snapping – as she completed the alarm spell, she dismissed that as the result of using an unfamiliar spell. She lay down on the mat while holding her teddy bear to her chest.

"Sorry, Beary, I didn't bring a bed for you," Mary said. "It wouldn't be very comfortable for you to sleep on the ground, anyway. But look on the bright side! You get to sleep on my nice and soft chest."

 _It's been a long day. Time to sleep – wait, almost forgot, one more thing._

The young monster stretched out an arm and lazily rummaged around in her pack. She pulled out a thin blanket and covered herself with it.

 _There. While it's perfectly comfortable to me, a night like this should be cold to humans. Don't want to look suspicious, after all. It's unlikely that anyone would come here, but just in case._

Her preparations complete, Mary closed her eyes. Within minutes she was sound asleep.

-ooo-

" – scuse me."

 _Wow, Beary! I can't believe that you've come to life!_

 _It's true, miss Mary, here I am! Let's have a tea party together!_

 _This is the best day of my life! First, let's get dressed for the occasion –_

"Excuse me!"

"Huh… wha?"

Mary opened her eyes blearily. A silhouette appeared in front of her, which soon resolved into a familiar-looking face.

"Heinrich? So you've come to my party as well?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Wait here, I need to get changed first…"

Mary reached out blindly. Her left arm fumbled around, searching for a dress that only existed within the land of dreams. Her right hand gripped the hem of her dress and started pulling it down.

"What – what the hell are you doing!?" For some reason, Heinrich was embarrassed.

"Huh? I'm just changing – oh, right, in some human cultures, nudity is seen as shameful…"

"What are you talking about!? Stop – stop taking your clothes off already!"

Mary blinked. She looked more closely at the young man who was frantically covering his eyes.

"You – wait – how are you here? There's no way you could have – not without triggering the alarm!"

She leapt to her feet and stared at Heinrich. He was holding a torch and looking at her accusingly.

 _Wait, don't tell me it was the six-pointed star after all? Damn, I really should have listened properly back then!_

"I was – " Heinrich coughed, still trying to hide a blush, "I was walking around the village when I heard a commotion from the pigpen. When I looked there, I found this," Heinrich held up his hand, revealing a golden hair, "stuck in the fence. Then I followed the footsteps here. So… I thought you were travelling somewhere else? What are you doing here?"

Even though the words didn't have much force behind them, they nevertheless pierced Mary's heart like daggers. In the first place, she wasn't the kind of person who enjoyed deceiving people.

"Um, um, I, actually, I – " Mary stammered.

Seeing Mary flail around in a panic, Heinrich seemed to feel awkward as well. He sat down so that the two of them were eye to eye. He also embedded the torch in the ground so that both his hands were free.

"Look, I – I just want to know why you wanted to get away so badly," Heinrich said. "I mean, I understand the feeling, but I want to know what your reason was."

Mary was silent while her brain worked faster than it ever had to before.

 _What do I do, what am I even supposed to say? "Oh, sorry I lied to you, I'm actually the daughter of the Monster Lord" – I can't say that! But anything else I could say would make me sound like a jerk who didn't want anything to do with them. Then what can I possibly say!?_

While wracking her brain for answers, Mary remembered a piece of advice from her mother: when thinking of a cover story, try to make it as close to reality as possible, as this allows you to include more details and make it sound more natural.

After some more thinking, Mary finally spoke, "Okay. The reason I wanted to get away from you two, to the point of making up an excuse, is – actually, you'd understand better if I explained it from the beginning. I mentioned before that I don't know much about the world outside my village, which is why I'm going on this journey. That was a bit of an understatement. For my entire life, I've only ever been around other mo – mages, so I don't really know how to interact with other people. That's why I made up an excuse to be on my own. I didn't – I didn't want to embarrass myself any longer."

After listening to this, Heinrich appeared to be satisfied. Mary mentally breathed a sigh of relief.

 _That was easier than I thought. Though it's a little uncomfortable lying to someone's face like that._

"That's funny," Heinrich said, scratching his cheek in embarrassment, "that means you're kind of like me."

"Yep, yep, just like you!" Mary said, nodding quickly.

 _Wait, I get the feeling that we're talking about two different things. It reminds me of when I thought mother wanted me to put on a party for the queens visiting the castle, except that she actually wanted me to entertain their children._

Mary decided to try changing the subject. "So – so why were you out so late?" she asked.

"That's not something I want to talk about – " Heinrich said, only to pause. He thought carefully for a few moments, then took a deep breath. "No, that's not right. Since you revealed one of your secrets, it's only fair that I do as well. I also need to start from the beginning. I told you that I'm an orphan, didn't I? Apparently, both my parents died of plague and I was taken in by the church – but that's not important. The important part is that, ever since I can remember, I've never really belonged anywhere. The only people I had growing up were the priests and nuns and other orphans, but it's not like in the stories. Family doesn't always get along."

Mary shifted uncomfortably as Heinrich continued.

"When I was five or six, I can remember being left out of the other kids' groups. It was over things like who got to play with toys or who had to do the chores for the week. I can't even remember who was at fault back then. And there were a lot of us, over thirty in this one little church, so the priests and nuns didn't have time to take care of the problems properly. Instead, they pinned the blame on me, the troublemaker. So when I was growing up, I didn't really have anyone."

Heinrich laughed bitterly and continued, "Later on, the other orphans started getting apprenticeships, but I didn't. You can probably guess why. Eventually, I decided to leave the village where I was raised and move elsewhere to find work. But of course it wasn't that simple. I was still an outsider to this village. On top of that, I didn't want to get along with anyone. So I could never fit in here, either. Since there are always people in need of an extra pair of hands, I can work enough to get by, but that's it."

Heinrich looked away from Mary. He looked miserable, yet at the same time gave the impression that a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Well… sorry for rambling on, but I wanted to get it all out. That's the reason why I don't like being around other people for too long," Heinrich said.

"That's… that's horrible," Mary said.

"No, at least half of it is my fault," Heinrich replied. "I also don't try to get along with others – hell, I'm even aware of it – yet I don't even try to change that."

There was an uncomfortable silence. After hearing Heinrich's story, Mary thought about how she might be able to help him.

Heinrich stood up and said, "Anyway, I've taken enough of your time. I have to go back now. Sorry for disturbing you."

"Wait!" Mary said, while her brain was running at high speed. "I have an idea."

"What… kind of idea?" Heinrich asked. For some reason, he seemed to be slightly apprehensive.

"Why don't you accompany me on my journey around the world?" Mary said.

It took several seconds for Heinrich to register what she had said. "What?" He said. "What are you – just how the hell does your brain work?"

 _He's confused? But it makes perfect sense! Oh well, I just have to explain it all from the beginning!_

"Okay, so my problem is that I don't know much about huma – people different from me, while your problem is that you don't get along with others, and you also want to become a hero – I guess that's actually two problems." Before Heinrich could say one syllable in response, Mary continued, "So if we travel together, we can make up for each other's weaknesses! It's like in trade, where if you have something that someone else wants, and they have something that you want, you can both be better off if you trade your respective… somethings."

A wide smile appeared on Mary's face. She was proud of herself for managing to remember that lesson. Granted, she hadn't expressed it in the most eloquent manner possible, but it was still a sound principle that applied to all facets of life.

"Well… that's true," Heinrich said, his voice filled with doubt, "but I don't think it applies to this situation. Neither of us really has anything that the other person wants."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Mary retorted. "There are lots of things like that! You say you don't get along with other people, but aren't you and I getting along just fine?"

"Um, you could say that," Heinrich admitted uneasily.

"See? That's the first step! I know what you're thinking, 'It's just one tiny step', but the first step is always the hardest, so now that you've taken it, you're already halfway there. And you've got the best possible partner for the job, me! If there's one thing I'm good at, it's getting along with others, no matter who they are." Mary paused, though not for running out of breath. "Well, actually, there's a lot of other things I'm good at, like putting on dazzling displays of magic, hosting tea parties, being the cutest of them all – "

"And being humble," Heinrich added. "Don't forget that."

"And being humble, of course – but I'm getting off topic," Mary said. "Anyway, with me at your side, you'll be charming everyone out of their clothes in no time."

When Heinrich raised an eyebrow at these words, Mary shrugged and said, "What? It's a figure of speech where I come from."

"Anyway," Mary continued, "I can also help you out on your dream of becoming a hero. I've got some books about swordfighting somewhere in my cabinet, and you're welcome to read them – wait, just asking to make sure, can you read?"

"I can, though not all that well," Heinrich answered. "I was taught a little when I was helping a merchant process his inventory."

"Well, I can always teach you if needed, so that's not important," Mary said. "On top of that, I can also fight alongside you while you're still training. After all, even the greatest of heroes never got anywhere on their own, right?"

Heinrich thought about this for some time. He said doubtfully, "Okay, there is a lot that you could help me with. But I still can't think of anything _I_ could do to help you."

"Once again, there's plenty of things!" Mary said. "Since you're a – someone who has been to multiple villages and worked in all kinds of jobs, you know much more about the world than I do."

"You're making me sound much more impressive than I am," Heinrich said. "I've only ever been to two villages. I'm not a scholar or anything, I don't know much about the world."

"Really?" Mary said. "If that's the case, then can you answer – no, do you _not_ know the answer to the following question: some of the fields around the village aren't being used for farming. Why is this land not suitable for farming?"

"Well, that's – you've got it all wrong," Heinrich said. "That land is suitable for farming, it's just not being used right now because of crop rotation. How to explain this… if a piece of land is farmed over and over again, it loses the essence of the earth and crops can't grow in it any longer. So once every three years, it has to be left alone to regain that essence." Heinrich blinked and added quickly, "But just because I know that, doesn't mean – "

Mary had a smug look on her face. "Doesn't mean what, exactly? I didn't know about that, even though – anyway, don't be so hard on yourself! You're a lot better than you think you are!"

"…Thanks," Heinrich said, looking away in embarrassment.

 _Dinah_ , _for once I wish you were so I could see the look on her face,_ Mary thought. _I told you that my ability to cheer people up isn't just an accident._

With her spirits higher than usual, Mary said, "So? What do you think? Don't you think it's a great idea?"

"Well… It does sound like a good idea, but… first of all, how long would this journey last?" Heinrich asked.

Mary froze. This was one thing that hadn't initially crossed her mind. After some more frantic thinking, she said, "Probably at least… five – no, at least six months. I know it's a long time, but – "

"No, that's fine," Heinrich said. "It's not like I have anywhere else to be."

"Hey, that's not the right way to think about it," Mary said, more than a little annoyed at Heinrich's tone. "You're not doing this because there's no other place for you, you're doing this to improve yourself – no, to become a legendary hero, one whose name everyone knows!"

Heinrich flinched slightly from Mary's unbridled enthusiasm. "That's aiming too high, isn't it?" He said.

"Of course not," Mary said. "You can never aim too high. Well, except if you're _literally_ shooting something, but – "

Heinrich laughed gently at that. He was certainly a lot happier than before.

"And also, on this journey… would it just be the two of us?" Heinrich asked.

"No, there's also – " Mary began, only to slap herself in frustration. "I can't believe I forgot to introduce you. Here's Beary – " she held up the teddy bear, which had fallen to the ground when she woke up, and waved its paw at Heinrich, "my faithful friend for almost fifteen years now. She'll be coming along with us too."

For some reason, Heinrich looked extremely uncomfortable. "I was – I was trying not to bring up the teddy bear – sorry, Beary," Heinrich said. "Okay… so I guess it will be just the three of us."

"So, do you want to come along with me?" Mary asked.

Heinrich thought about the matter some more. Before long, he had his answer.

"Yeah. I will."

Heinrich held out his hand, presumably offering to seal the agreement with a handshake, but Mary had a different idea. She opened her arms wide and pulled Heinrich into an almost backbreaking hug. Since she was taller than him, Heinrich ended up having his head pressed against Mary's ample chest. He didn't even seem to register the fact that Beary was squished between the two of them.

When Mary finally let go, Heinrich was frozen with shock and embarrassment, unable to say a single word. But Mary was too caught up in the joy of obtaining a travelling companion to notice his discomfort. She was thinking of all the new opportunities that this opened up for her.

"Alright, let's go to bed right away so we're nice and fresh for our journey tomorrow!" Mary declared with glee. She waved her staff and the crystal on the end began glowing, looking like a blue-tinted full moon. She then reached down and extinguished Heinrich's torch by covering it with one hand. "Sorry, but this isn't going to last the whole night, so we'll use my staff instead." She then materialised her travelling cabinet, pulled out another sleeping mat and blanket, then shrank the cabinet again. "You can have these. Sorry for how shabby they are, but I didn't bring anything else. Ah, I've always wanted to try camping with someone else! I'll take the first watch, then I'll wake you up in a few hours and you can handle the second."

Heinrich wasn't able to say anything in response to Mary's rapid-fire barrage of words. Still blushing with embarrassment, he accepted the bedding and lay down.

Mary leaned against a tree. She looked at her teddy bear with a smile.

 _Well, Beary, it looks like we've got company now. I can't wait to see what the future will be like_.


	5. Chapter 4: Grand Noah

**AN: Sorry for the delay. To make up for it, here's an extra-long chapter.**

 **Update 25/8/19: altered alraune's description slightly**

* * *

Heinrich pinched himself again. Just like the previous five times, it had absolutely no effect aside from a moment of pain. He didn't wake up and find himself sleeping on a pile of straw in a barn, wondering what his next job would be. The surrounding forest didn't disappear, and neither did the strange mage strolling casually ahead of him.

Heinrich felt like pinching himself again, the entire situation was simply that unbelievable.

Last night, when he'd been shaken awake to the sight of a beautiful woman staring right at him, he initially thought it was the kind of dream that you could never explain to anyone else. After that, there was the disconcerting experience of watching a grown woman sleep with a teddy bear.

When Alicetroemeria woke up, she'd greeted Heinrich with another hug, causing his brain to melt and dribble out through his ears. While Heinrich was thus incapacitated, Alicetroemeria went out and caught a large bird for their breakfast. She then tried preparing it, but her efforts were poor enough that Heinrich worked up the courage to take over the job. Although Heinrich's attempt at cooking the bird wasn't that good, in his opinion, Alicetroemeria nevertheless reacted very positively. In fact, she ate three quarters of the bird, in less time than it took for Heinrich to finish his portion. Heinrich had reacted in an entirely natural manner – sitting still with his mouth open – which caused Alicetroemeria to ask if he was still hungry and wanted more.

Eventually, they managed to begin their journey. Alicetroemeria had suggested stopping by Finoa so that Heinrich could pick up his belongings, but he turned down this offer. This was for the simple reason that he didn't have anything in the village; his only belongings were the clothes on his back and the sword which Alicetroemeria had given him. Heinrich had previously hidden the sword in a hollow tree deep in the forest, so after a quick stop to retrieve it, they were on their way.

But despite carrying far more than Heinrich was, Alicetroemeria didn't seem hindered in the slightest. When they first started walking, she moved at a pace that soon left Heinrich far behind. She realised her mistake and immediately slowed down, but it still unnerved him to see a woman so much stronger than him. Even now, after four hours of non-stop walking with the travelling pack over her shoulder, she didn't show any signs of fatigue.

The two of them were heading for Grand Noah, the capital of the Noah region. According to what Heinrich had heard from visiting merchants, it was positively enormous, with a population of over ten thousand people. The city was surrounded by walls and watchtowers that ensured no monster would dare go near it. People from every country, even the far-flung Ilias Continent, walked its streets. As someone who had only ever seen the smallest of villages, it was something that Heinrich could hardly even picture in his imagination.

Alicetroemeria had suggested it as a good place to start, both for gathering information and for making useful connections with people. As the less social of the two, Heinrich decided to defer to her on this decision.

As the two of them walked, Alicetroemeria never stopped asking Heinrich all sorts of questions. She seemed interested in even the most insignificant of details, such as what he'd eaten for breakfast in the past week, absorbing it all without a hint of boredom. Heinrich had never talked with someone continuously for so long. Usually, his interactions with other people involved them making excuses to leave as soon as possible, bluntly telling him that they wanted nothing to do with him, or ignoring him as much as possible.

The sun rose higher, bathing the earth in its increasingly harsh rays. Beads of sweat ran down Heinrich's neck and stained his shirt. Still, he continued without complaint. It did irk him a little that Alicetroemeria wasn't even sweating at all.

When noon arrived the two of them stopped for lunch. Heinrich felt the need to contribute in some way and so combed the nearby trees for fruit. He had some experience at this, as the energetic demands of his frequent training meant that he needed any food he could get. He managed to gather a handful of cherries in the same time it took for Alicetroemeria to catch two birds. Despite his contribution being meagre in comparison to hers, Alicetroemeria still beamed as if it were a rare treat. The radiance of her smiling face caused Heinrich to again look away in embarrassment.

After lunch, Heinrich asked to look at the swordfighting books Alicetroemeria had mentioned. She materialised her cabinet and pulled out a large book. Just as she was about to hand the book over to Heinrich, she took another look at the cover and suddenly looked alarmed. She quickly pulled the book back and shoved it back into the cabinet before Heinrich could clearly make out what was on the cover. After rummaging around for a while, she took out another, thinner book and presented it to Heinrich, trying to keep a neutral expression.

Although he was slightly suspicious of Alicetroemeria's behaviour, Heinrich nevertheless accepted the book and began to read. The book used a generally simple vocabulary; Heinrich could understand most of the words without too much effort. From what he could discern from flipping through the pages, it covered several different types of swords and included both basic training and a range of different techniques. It did, however, have one notable flaw.

"Thank you, it looks good," Heinrich said, "but I'd just like to ask: do you have any with illustrations? It would help a lot if I could actually see what the movements are like."

Alicetroemeria jumped slightly and shifted her gaze. She said, slightly too quickly, "No! That's the only one I have! The one I took out before was actually something else!"

This reaction naturally just made Heinrich more suspicious, but he decided not to pursue the matter. He sat down and began reading more thoroughly.

The introduction to the book focused on the basics of the sword. First and foremost, it emphasised that swords, even many enchanted ones, are not indestructible: they require regular sharpening to maintain an edge and cleaning to prevent rust, and they can easily be broken in intense combat. It explained that swords are light enough for even the untrained to hold and swing, though strength is still needed to use them _effectively_. It also listed several varieties of swords and discussed their advantages and disadvantages.

As he turned the pages, it didn't escape his notice that the book was of very fine construction: the paper was smooth, thick and free of stains; the letters were precise and neat throughout the entire book. And Alicetroemeria seemingly had dozens of books, none of which she treated with any degree of care. If the other books were even half as expensive as the one he was holding, then that suggested certain things about her background.

Heinrich became engrossed in the book. He'd never maintained interest in any other book before, but he simply couldn't take his eyes away from this one. It seemed like no time at all had passed before Alicetroemeria told him that they should probably start moving again. With more than a little reluctance, Heinrich closed the book and handed it back while expressing his thanks.

They continued walking all the way into the evening. Under the cover of the trees, the light dimmed rapidly. Heinrich nearly tripped a couple of times, barely able to see where he was going.

Eventually, Alicetroemeria realised the difficulty Heinrich was in and decided that they should stop for the night. Heinrich insisted that he could keep going, but Alicetroemeria refused to budge. This was not a metaphor, as she sat down on the spot and refused to budge until Heinrich agreed.

Dinner was two rabbits inelegantly garnished with some forest herbs whose names Heinrich didn't know, but which nevertheless imparted a slightly sweet flavour to the meat. After they had finished eating, Alicetroemeria suggested that Heinrich start putting his newly learned information into practice.

"You'll never get anywhere just reading about fighting or training on your own. I'll help you out! Go ahead, attack me!"

Heinrich blinked in shock. "I can't do that, you'll – "

"Don't worry, don't worry," Alicetroemeria said. "You won't be able to hurt me, no matter what. Anyway, you need to get practice on a moving target, something that can actually fight back. There's just you and me here, so let's get started!"

Alicetroemeria was practically bouncing with glee. Heinrich was still uncomfortable at the prospect, even knowing that this was the same person who'd casually defeated a dozen armed bandits with her bare hands. Eventually, Alicetroemeria picked up a tree branch and threw it to Heinrich, who reflexively caught it.

"Okay, let's start off soft," Alicetroemeria said. "Now come on, hit me!"

Heinrich hesitated some more before giving in to the strange mage's whims. He swung the branch as slowly as he could. Alicetroemeria caught the branch easily.

"What was _that?_ " Alicetroemeria said. "This is training, not playing around. Come on, be serious!"

After some more badgering, Heinrich did try attacking seriously. And just as Alicetroemeria had said, he was completely unable to hurt her. Each attempt led to one of three outcomes. The most common was for Heinrich to miss entirely, the branch slicing through thin air. Alternatively, Alicetroemeria would catch the branch again or deflect it with her hands, which often caused Heinrich to lose his balance. The least frequent outcome, but undoubtedly the most humiliating, was Alicetroemeria taking hold of Heinrich's arm and throwing him to the ground. It didn't have any physical effects besides dirtying his clothing and knocking the breath out of him, but the impact on his pride was severe.

This continued until Heinrich refused to get up after being thrown yet again. He'd put his all into the task, attacking in every possible direction while using all the strength and speed he could muster. Now, he couldn't remember if he'd made fifty strikes or five hundred. And on top of the physical exhaustion was the crushing sensation of utter defeat. While Heinrich barely had enough energy to stay conscious, Alicetroemeria was just as energetic as ever.

Alicetroemeria leaned down and extended a hand to Heinrich. She smiled reassuringly.

"Hey, cheer up," Alicetroemeria said. "Everyone's bad at something when they first start out. When I first tried practicing black magic, it literally blew up in my face and I ended up losing an eye!"

Heinrich laughed a little upon hearing that. The childish exaggeration reminded him of the kinder times in the orphanage, the few memories that didn't make him want to burn them out of his mind. He took Alicetroemeria's hand and struggled to his feet.

"Do you want to keep going?" Alicetroemeria asked.

"No, that's enough for today," Heinrich said. He thought for a while, then asked, "Do you mind telling me something? How – how exactly are you so strong?"

"Oh, that's – that's because of a special magic that's passed down in my village, which reinforces the body," Alicetroemeria said. She paused, then added, "It's something like a family secret, so please don't tell anyone."

"I see," Heinrich said. "Alright, I won't mention it to anyone else."

"Thank you!" Alicetroemeria said, shaking Heinrich's hands in gratitude.

Heinrich was again embarrassed at the relatively intimate contact.

He was even more embarrassed at having to sleep with – in the same general location as Alicetroemeria again.

-ooo-

A week passed. Whenever they weren't on the move and there was enough daylight to read, Heinrich immersed himself in the book on swordfighting. He absorbed the information greedily, taking in any information that could potentially be useful. Every evening, Alicetroemeria would help him put that knowledge to use. While he still wasn't able to land a single hit, he was still able to improve his striking technique. Occasionally, he was able to immediately recover after a throw and attack again – though of course, the branch never came any closer to hitting its target.

But these days of peace didn't last. Like any other relationship, conflict eventually reared its gruesome head.

It was another fine spring morning. Heinrich and Alicetroemeria were walking along the road when the latter spotted something in the distance. At first, she simply tilted her head and squinted. Even when they were close enough for Alicetroemeria to see something that caused her face to light up, Heinrich still couldn't see anything odd.

"What is it?" Heinrich asked.

"Oh, it's an alraune," Alicetroemeria said casually.

Her tone was so casual, in fact, that Heinrich initially didn't react. Only after the words had passed through his ears and bounced around in his brain a few times did he absorb their meaning. Heinrich nearly jumped out of his skin in surprise.

"A monster!?" Heinrich said, shocked. He quickly reached for the sword at his belt and drew it. The sword wavered in his hands; while it wasn't that heavy, it wasn't weighted like any of the branches he'd handled before. But he couldn't falter here. Not against a monster.

Whenever the priests and priestesses used a frightening tale to scare the orphans into following some moral or other, the tale would invariably be about monsters. The enemies of humanity, beings who held nothing but sin. When the Goddess Ilias created the world and all within it, the monsters chose to defy her will and preyed upon the humans she so favoured. Due to their inner darkness, they lacked the power to create anything of their own, and so violated human men in order to propagate their race.

An alraune was one of the more common types of monsters. While the descriptions of their appearance varied, the part that was always consistent was their association with flowers.

Alicetroemeria was bewildered at Heinrich's reaction. She said, "Wait, what are you doing?"

"Huh? What are you – we need to get ready to fight!" Heinrich replied.

Alicetroemeria's face rapidly cycled through half a dozen different emotions, eventually settling on absolute shock. She quickly said, "Wait! You don't need to fight!"

Heinrich paused, thinking these words through. He lowered his sword and said, "You're… you're right. I'd just get in your way."

"That's not what I'm talking about!" Alicetroemeria said, shaking her head furiously. "We don't have to fight at all! I'm just going to talk to her!"

"Wha – don't tell me you think you can talk to it?" Heinrich asked in confusion. "There's no point! Haven't you ever seen a monster before?"

Alicetroemeria opened her mouth, quickly closed it without saying anything, then said, "No, but have _you_? How do you know that we can't just talk to her?"

"I – I – this is the first time I've seen a monster," Heinrich admitted, "but still, there's no point! Everyone knows that monsters – "

"'Everyone knows that monsters' are _what_?" Alicetroemeria said, gripping her staff tightly. "We're – they're all evil? They eat babies? They kidnap babies to turn them into more monsters?"

"Uh, well, yes…" Heinrich said nervously.

"And I'm guessing that it's all something Ilias says, huh?" Alicetroemeria continued. "Because Ilias is always right, right? Well fuck that!" Alicetroemeria slammed her staff on the ground with surprising vehemence. "I'm going over there to show that that _you're wrong_! Just wait and watch!"

Alicetroemeria walked forward purposefully. Heinrich hurried after her, sword still in hand.

Soon, Heinrich saw something that clearly didn't belong. An immense flower, easily the size of a small boulder, sprouting right in the middle of the path. It was currently closed, though pink petals could be seen peeking out from the gaps between the sepals.

Heinrich raised his sword nervously. Seeing this, Alicetroemeria rolled her eyes and, faster than he could react, grabbed the sword and shoved it back into its sheath. She then strode forward and gently knocked on the side of the flower, which slowly opened.

 _What should I do?_ Heinrich thought as he watched the flower open. _She seems to be confident, but – I have to do something! She herself admitted she doesn't know much about the world. But she's also ridiculously powerful, and I wouldn't be able to help anyway – but anyone can fall victim to surprise, so I have to –_

Then the flower opened completely, and Heinrich's thoughts came to an abrupt halt.

Most of the stories portrayed monsters as grotesque beings. Amalgamations of multiple living things, thrown together with no sense of harmony. Gaping mouths full of sharp teeth, eternally drooling corrosive saliva. Monsters in these stories were so repulsive that they could barely even stand each other.

Some of the stories took a different approach. In these, monsters were more beautiful than any human, a sinful beauty that appealed to the most base of desires. But this was no more than a façade to lure the unfaithful. Anyone foolish enough to give in to temptation would experience nothing but torment for the rest of their drastically shortened life.

The alraune definitely fit the second category. She had bright blue eyes, pale green skin free of any blemishes, white hair that reached to her waist, and abundant curves.

Heinrich's jaw dropped. The sword nearly fell from his hands. Then he frantically shook his head in a desperate attempt to reorganise his thoughts.

 _Nononononono… don't think about her that way. Stop looking at her –_ it _, stop looking at_ it _. Concentrate. This – this is all just a trick –_

The alraune rubbed her eyes blearily, as if she'd just woken up. She looked at Heinrich and blinked.

"Hmm – wait, you're – finally, someone's here!"

The alraune quickly sat up straight and trembled with glee. Heinrich recoiled, unsure of how to react.

Alicetroemeria stepped forward and said, "Hi, it's a nice morning, isn't it? If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing out here?"

To Heinrich's further confusion, the alraune responded to this. "I've been waiting here for almost a week for a man to pass by. My sisters have all found men already, and now it's my turn!" The alraune paused and looked more closely at Alicetroemeria. "Wait, you're with him? Dammit, I was so close! Unless…. Unless you're willing to share?"

Heinrich turned crimson and almost fainted. In his mind, he repeatedly reminded himself, _It's a monster, it's a monster, it's a monster…_

Alicetroemeria put her hand over her mouth and giggled. "No, we're just travelling together. Heinrich here is single right now," She turned to Heinrich and asked, "So, are you interested?"

"W-what? No way!" Heinrich shouted.

The alraune flinched at the sudden denial, but didn't give up. She said, "Um, wait just a minute! I – I can change your mind! First things first, I didn't introduce myself, my name is Amara. I'm good at – okay, there's not a lot of things I'm really good at. But I'm good at finding food in the forest, and – and everyone I've met finds my jokes funny, and – "

"No! There's absolutely no way I'll ever be with – with a monster!" Heinrich said.

Amara shrank back, shocked at these words. Alicetroemeria looked at Heinrich disapprovingly.

"That's a bit harsh, isn't it?" Alicetroemeria said. "I know you've been raised to hate monsters, but to actually say something like that – " She then turned towards Amara and continued, "I'm guessing that you haven't been around much, right? Well around here, there's lots of humans who see monsters as evil and want us – them dead."

Amara looked shocked, as if this was somehow news to her. But that couldn't be, Heinrich thought. Every human, young or old, peasant or royal, followed Ilias and obeyed her commandments. A monster could expect only fear and hostility from any humans they met.

"How can… I don't understand… " Amara said.

Alicetroemeria laid a sympathetic hand on Amara's shoulder. "I know it sounds scary, but it's true, I promise," she said. "Tell me, is this your first time meeting a – humans in the flesh?"

"Y – Yes," Amara replied. "I never knew my father, my mother raised me and my sisters alone in a place deep in the forest, far away from any humans. I set out on my own once I was old enough. I came across this road about a week ago and remembered that humans travel along roads, so I decided to wait here. But this is the first time I've actually met any humans."

Alicetroemeria accepted this answer readily, which only confused Heinrich further. While the alraune's words didn't sound like a lie, she was still a monster. But Alicetroemeria didn't seem to have any room for fear and doubt in her mind. Rather, she sounded like she had just made a new friend.

"Okay, listen carefully, Amara," Alicetroemeria said. "Most humans worship Ilias, the Goddess of Light, believing that she created them."

"'Most'?" Heinrich said, unable to stop himself from interrupting. "All humans worship Ilias, everyone knows that. And Ilias created the entire world, not just humans."

Alicetroemeria turned towards Heinrich. "No, that's not quite accurate. There is – I've heard of a city in Hellgondo called Remina where they don't worship her."

"Wha – that's impossible," Heinrich said. Hellgondo was the northernmost continent in the world and was infamous for being dominated by monsters. A human city there was like a lump of snow in the middle of a volcano. "Where did you even hear something like that?"

"I – I – I happened to hear it from a friend a few years ago, I forget which one," Alicetroemeria said nervously. "Anyway, that's not important!" Alicetroemeria said, turning back to Amara. "The important thing is that Ilias… really doesn't like monsters, at all. One of her commandments is that humans aren't allowed to have sex with monsters. And she has this habit of empowering heroes to kill monsters. Basically, most humans you could run into will either run away or attack you."

Heinrich didn't know what else to say. In all of his seventeen years of life, he'd never once expected to talk to a monster that wasn't trying to kill him. And on top of that, there was something strange about what Alicetroemeria was saying, something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Really?" Amara said, fear entering her voice.

"It's all true, I promise that I'm not lying," Alicetroemeria said seriously. "Me and Heinrich won't do anything to you – _right_ , Heinrich? – but that won't be the case for most humans you meet. So for your own safety, you need to be a lot more careful in the future. You shouldn't be waiting around the road like this. Is there anywhere you can go?"

Amara looked shaken, but she seemed to accept Alicetroemeria's words. "Well… I know how to survive in the forest on my own, so that's no issue, but… I'd still like to try and understand humans better."

"I understand just how you feel," Alicetroemeria said. "Still, you need to be – what's the word – discreet about it. For example, you could find a human village and look on from a distance. As long as you find a decent hiding spot, no one should find you. How does that sound?"

Amara considered this for a while, then agreed. She uprooted herself from the ground, causing Heinrich to stagger back at the unusual sight. After a polite farewell, she moved off into the forest, dragging herself along on prehensile roots.

After the alraune was gone, Alicetroemeria turned to Heinrich and said, "Well? Did that change your mind?"

Heinrich briefly struggled to find the words. "Did you just…" he began nervously, "did you just teach a monster how to spy on humans?"

"What? No!" Alicetroemeria said emphatically. "I'm just teaching someone how to stay safe. And at the same time, I'm teaching _you_ that – " Alicetroemeria paused momentarily to think, then continued, "that you shouldn't just believe everything that you've been taught. You have to keep your mind open, ready to question anything you're told. Did you really think that an entire race of people could all be evil? Wouldn't that mean that all the babies are somehow born evil?"

These words had a profound effect on Heinrich. He had never questioned his beliefs about monsters before – to him, they were just as rooted in reality as the very concepts of up and down, or heat and cold. But when Alicetroemeria spelled it out like this… he couldn't think of a way to refute her words, no matter how hard he tried.

However, there was one thing that did come to mind, one thing that he simply had to say.

"Alice – Alicetroemeria, do people in your village not worship Ilias? Because that's the only explanation I can think of for why you think that way."

Panic flickered across Alicetroemeria's face, lingering long enough for Heinrich to notice it. She averted her eyes and hesitated a while before speaking.

"The truth is really embarrassing for me," Alicetroemeria said, in a much quieter voice than usual. "You're not going to laugh at me, are you?"

"I won't, I promise," Heinrich said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible.

"…Okay, the truth is that where I come from, we – it's not that we don't worship Ilias at all, but most people don't, and even those who do are fairly relaxed about it. And – " Alicetroemeria trailed off, but then she looked resolute and decided to continue, " – and in fact, sometimes monsters visit our village to trade or to find husbands. That's – that's why I don't think all monsters are evil!"

For the first time since Heinrich met her, Alicetroemeria was breathing heavily as if exhausted. Yet at the same time, she looked as though a burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

Heinrich was silent for a while as he digested these revelations.

 _A place where humans and monsters get along – it still sounds unbelievable, but she doesn't seem to be lying, or the type to lie. And – and I just saw proof of it being possible, right with my own eyes. But it goes against everything I've been taught. Even if they would disagree on every other issue, every other person I've met agrees on monsters being evil. There has to be_ some _basis to it all… but that's not important right now. Right now, I have to cheer her up somehow. What can I do? I'm no expert on talking to people, but – maybe this will work._

Heinrich began to reach forward, then stopped. While it was one of the more effective techniques that he'd seen parents use to comfort their children, actually hugging someone was definitely out of his comfort zone. He compromised by gingerly placing his hands on Alicetroemeria's shoulders.

"It's okay," Heinrich said. "There's – there's nothing wrong with that."

"Really?" Alicetroemeria said nervously. "You're not mad at me for lying?"

"Of course not," Heinrich answered. "I know what it feels like to – well, come to think of it, I actually don't know what it feels like. But – ugh, I just want you to know that I'm definitely not mad at you."

Alicetroemeria looked at Heinrich. She reached up and grasped his hands in her own, something that made him blush.

"Thanks."

"It's – it's nothing," Heinrich said quickly.

A smile appeared on Alicetroemeria's face again. She looked thoughtful for a while and said, "In that case… I'm not going to ask you to accept monsters right away, but could you keep an open mind in the future?"

"I – I can do that," Heinrich replied.

Alicetroemeria finally let go, causing Heinrich to mentally breathe a sigh of relief.

Heinrich thought about what had just happened. Having your personal beliefs challenged wasn't something that people generally found comfortable. But at the same time, that didn't mean it was something to avoid. He remembered the first time he tried to pick up a branch and swing it – he'd collapsed after a dozen clumsy swings, aching all over. But after years of tenacity, he had definitely improved.

If the body can be improved by challenges, why not the mind as well?

-ooo-

Another week passed. The pair travelled through dense forests and open woodlands, through bright green meadows and rocky hills. Eventually, they started seeing signs of human habitation again – fields, small huts, and the stumps of felled trees – and knew they were approaching their destination.

At this point, Heinrich decided to tell Alicetroemeria about an issue that had been bothering him for some time. He'd actually been thinking about it ever since he first met her. However, every time the issue entered his mind, Heinrich did his best to force it out.

But now that they were going to meet other humans again, Heinrich needed to talk about it. He steeled himself and asked, "Sorry if this sounds weird, but do you have any other clothes?"

"Huh?" Alicetroemeria blinked. "Why?"

Heinrich tried to think of a more diplomatic approach. For the past two weeks, he'd only seen Alicetroemeria in the same kind of dress she was wearing when they first met. Either she washed it whenever she bathed herself – the same thing that Heinrich did – or changed into a new one. That magical cabinet of hers certainly had the room for plenty of spares.

"Because – because you'll stand out if you keep wearing that," Heinrich said evasively.

"What are you talking about?" Alicetroemeria asked again, still oblivious.

"Because everyone can see your chest!" Heinrich blurted out. Then he realised what he'd just said and backpedalled desperately. "I – I mean, most people wear clothing that covers more skin, and – and because of that, you'll end up attracting a lot of attention."

Alicetroemeria looked down at herself. "Now that you mention it… I did notice that everyone in the village was dressed more conservatively than this… but do you really think that I'll stand out?"

Heinrich looked as far away from Alicetroemeria as possible. Unfortunately, simply talking about this subject caused images to enter his mind that he definitely did not want there. But he had to give an answer, so, still looking away, he said, "Yes, definitely!"

"Hmm… in that case, I guess I'll have to change," Alicetroemeria said.

Turning around, Alicetroemeria took out her cabinet again and opened up the doors all the way, revealing long mirrors on the inner surfaces.

"It's a pity, I really liked this one, but I guess there's no other option," Alicetroemeria said absentmindedly as she rummaged around, pulling out dress after dress. The dresses were astoundingly varied, with the only common point being that they were all far too conspicuous to wear in public. They came in every colour of the rainbow – in fact, one of them _was_ every colour of the rainbow. Some of the dresses were even skimpier than what Alicetroemeria was currently wearing.

Eventually, Alicetroemeria gave up on her search and said to Heinrich, "Well, it looks like none of these will work. I'll have to try patching up what I'm wearing right now."

"You can do that out here?" Heinrich asked.

"Sure, I've made half of my dresses myself!" Alicetroemeria said cheerfully as she took out a sewing kit and several pieces of green fabric. She looked at herself at multiple angles in the cabinet's mirrors. "This won't take me ten minutes – "

Suddenly, Alicetroemeria froze. Still looking at the mirrors, she blinked rapidly and slowly reached up to touch her face.

"Alicetroemeria?" Heinrich asked.

"It's nothing!" Alicetroemeria said far too quickly. "I need to take this off to sow the patch on, so please go away! You don't want to see me naked, do you!?"

"S – Sorry!" Heinrich said, running away so quickly that he almost tripped. "Take as long as you need!"

Heinrich didn't stop until he was a fair distance away. He crouched down behind a tree, covered his ears and shut his eyes tightly. He wanted to make sure that there was absolutely no chance of him accidentally hearing or seeing anything untoward. Like this, he definitely would not be able to hear the sound of cloth slipping to the ground, or catch the sight of a naked body gleaming in the sun…

Heinrich shook his head frantically in an attempt to get rid of these sinful thoughts.

After a subjective eternity had passed, Alicetroemeria finally called out that she was finished. Heinrich walked back very slowly and carefully. When he emerged from the trees, he saw that Alicetroemeria had succeeded in fixing up her outfit. It now reached up to her neck and covered her shoulders. In all likelihood, only a professional tailor would be able to tell that it had been modified.

"How do I look?" Alicetroemeria asked.

"That – should be fine," Heinrich said. "By the way, you were really fast, I was expecting it to take longer."

"Thanks!" Alicetroemeria said. "Like I said before, I've made half my dresses myself, so I'm really good with a needle and thread. Anyway, let's get going. The earlier we get there, the more we can do in Grand Noah."

And with that, they continued forward.

It wasn't long before they started seeing other people. Farmers, lumberjacks, fishermen, merchants, travelling bards… it seemed that with every ten steps they took, there were twice as many people as there were before.

The trees thinned out steadily. The outline of a stone wall gradually came into Heinrich's view. As he approached, the wall grew taller and taller.

Finally, they emerged from the woods. Heinrich slowed to a stop, awed at the sight before him.

Words like "huge" or "enormous" utterly failed to describe it. The city was a seemingly endless expanse, stretching from one horizon to the other. The outer wall was almost as tall as the canopy of the surrounding forest, and yet behind it, the tops of several buildings could be seen. At the bottom of the wall was a gate, large enough that six or seven horsemen could have passed through at once.

After a little bit of giggling at his shock, Alicetroemeria took Heinrich's hand and tugged him into the city.

It was a dizzying hive of activity. In the course of a single minute, Heinrich saw more people than he'd seen before in his seventeen years of life. Crowds upon crowds, pouring in and out of buildings, milling about in the street like busy ants. The sheer noise they produced was almost deafening after weeks in the relative quiet of the wilderness. And on top of the sheer quantity was the incredibly diversity of people. On the left, there was a jeweller displaying a selection of lustrous gems, a glassblower amidst an array of cups and lamps, an armoursmith demonstrating the toughness of his wares by striking a breastplate with a wooden rod. On the right, there was there was a tailor mending a fine shirt, a group of priests in white robes hurrying along the street, a juggler entertaining a small crowd with his performance.

Then there were the buildings, which were even more awe-inspiring now that Heinrich could get a close look at them. There wasn't a single one that was less than two storeys in height. Most were made of wood but a few were chiselled stone. All had windows that were large sheets of glass, a far cry from those in Finoa, which were small holes in walls that had to be covered during inclement weather.

And all this was just the very first street.

Still holding tightly onto Heinrich's hand, Alicetroemeria led him through the rare gaps in the crowd, which she sought with practiced ease.

They came to a large city square where the crowds were even denser, the noise more deafening still. At this point, Heinrich gave up on trying to take it all in.

Then they came to what was clearly one of the richer sections of the city. The buildings were tall and grand, with walls painted in striking bright colours. Servants scurried about as they performed their labours.

Eventually, Alicetroemeria brought Heinrich to a refuge from the crowds, a small inn that "merely" had a dozen patrons. The two of them sat down, Heinrich still dazed from the novel experience. Alicetroemeria ordered some bread and meat and two cups of beer.

"So, what do you think of it all?" Alicetroemeria asked.

Heinrich took a bite of bread as he tried to think of an answer. He eventually said, "There's – there's so many people."

Alicetroemeria restrained another giggle and said, "Yes, that does tend to be the case in a capital city. Anyway, where would you like to go to first? I've been doing some reading, and there's lots of interesting things to do and places to be here! There's a field on the west side of the city where they hold a fighting tournament, two warriors fighting until one gives up or can't fight any more – you'd probably be interested in that. There's also the marketplace which Grand Noah is famous for, they say you can find literally anything there, including meat, fish, poultry, pastries, sweets – "

Heinrich smiled wryly as Alicetroemeria started salivating. He said, "Maybe we should finish eating first? I always find that I think better on a full stomach."

"Mmm, good idea!" Alicetroemeria said before she started tearing into her food with increased voracity. As usual, Alicetroemeria finished her meal long before Heinrich was even halfway done.

"Alright, so where was I? Ah, I was talking about how in the marketplace you can find anything and everything, and I was thinking we should go there and buy everything we can carry so we can…"

Heinrich couldn't find the opportunity to get a word in, and on top of that, Alicetroemeria's nonstop verbal barrage was somewhat intimidating. He decided to just stay silent and listen.

"…and it's also a good spot to gather information as well. So we'd better get going soon, because I hear that it gets really busy this time of day. What do you say, Heinrich?"

Heinrich quickly nodded, but Alicetroemeria frowned slightly and said, "Wait, did you hear everything I said?"

"Yes, I did!" Heinrich said. "Uhh… you were talking about how you wanted to go to the marketplace and buy – and buy the most delicious kinds of food?"

From the look on Alicetroemeria's face, Heinrich immediately realised that he'd made a mistake. He began to stammer out apologies, but Alicetroemeria simply shook her head.

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry," Alicetroemeria said, her eyes downcast. "I – well, I should tell you that one of my bad points is that, sometimes, I end up talking too much and drowning the other person out. And since I'm the next Mo – anyway! I just want to say that if I'm making you uncomfortable, in any way, please don't be afraid to tell me. I promise I won't get mad!"

Heinrich gulped and worked up his courage. He managed to say, "Okay. It's true that you – you weren't really giving me a chance to say anything."

"Hmm…" Alicetroemeria fell into thought at these words. "I have to make it up to you somehow… I know! Why don't we head over to the arena first? That's what you want to do, right?"

"What? No, you don't have to go out of your way to – " Heinrich began.

"No, I definitely have to make it up to you!" Alicetroemeria said resolutely.

After some more discussion, they eventually settled on going to the arena and then the marketplace.

While they were heading out, Alicetroemeria turned her head slightly towards one group of people who were talking in hushed voices. She seemed to be looking at the large roast chicken at their table, and Heinrich didn't pay it any attention.

-ooo-

The two of them walked towards the arena. Along the way, they happened across a stain on the otherwise impressive façade of the city – the blackened remains of at least half a dozen buildings. Judging from the surroundings, these had once been large houses, but now there were only chunks of wood amidst piles of ash. But although there had clearly been a serious fire, none of the passing citizens paid the ashes more than a brief glance.

It was a disturbing sight. Heinrich recalled hearing, from a travelling merchant, about the dangers of fire in cities. With so many wooden buildings in close proximity, even a small fire could quickly grow into a devastating conflagration. While all cities had their own fire brigades, they couldn't always arrive on time and there was little that they could do against the worst fires.

Interestingly, this information was something that Alicetroemeria did not already know, and she was quite unsettled when Heinrich told her about it.

Eventually they came to the arena. The structure was square in shape, with a sand floor in the centre that was surrounded by rows of seats on three sides. The fourth side was left open for people to enter and exit. Due to arriving late, Heinrich and Alicetroemeria could only find seats at the row in the very back, farthest from the action.

The fighters fought on the sand floor, with three or four duelling pairs at any one time. No two fighters had the same equipment; Heinrich could see swords, spears, daggers, clubs, maces, helmets, vests, breastplates, shields of various sizes and shapes.

The air was filled with grunts of effort, the clash of steel against steel, and the frenzied cheers of the audience. Every now and then, a fighter would be knocked to the ground, and the excitement of the crowd ramped up.

Heinrich's attention was focused on a pair of fighters who were both wielding swords. One had a short and straight sword, tapering to a point, and attacked with simple chopping and thrusting motions. The other had a longer curved sword – a saber, if Heinrich remembered correctly – and employed dizzyingly fast slashes.

The fighter wielding the curved sword seemed to be at the advantage. His armour was lighter as well, allowing him to move around freely, practically running rings around his opponent. He also had the approval of the crowd, with those near him cheering every time he demonstrated another dazzling manoeuver.

The fighter with the shorter sword was forced to fight defensively, visibly straining to parry the barrage of attacks. Several shallow cuts already adorned his bare arms. More than once, he'd had to take a step back.

Suddenly, the fighter with the short sword stumbled. His opponent seized the advantage and charged in for the finishing blow. But in the very next instant, he reeled back with a cut on his arm and his saber sent flying by a brutal parry. The first fighter swung his sword again and carved out a massive gash in his opponent's chest. The second fighter collapsed.

After a moment of silence, the crowd roared in praise of the sudden turnaround. The victorious fighter raised his sword in silent acknowledgement. Two attendants in reddish-brown clothing ran onto the arena and carried the loser off.

While the fight was admittedly impressive, Heinrich was worried about the fate of the loser. He looked at Alicetroemeria sitting on his right and thought of asking her, but then decided against it. He reasoned that he needed to take the initiative in improving his social skills. Therefore, he turned the other way and looked at the man sitting to his left. The man gave the impression of being a long-time fan of the arena – at the very least, he hadn't shown any surprise when the fight ended the way it did.

Heinrich summoned his courage and said, "Excuse me." When he didn't get a response, Heinrich hesitated for a moment before realising that he simply hadn't spoken loud enough. Raising his voice, he said, "Excuse me! Can I ask you something?"

The man blinked and answered, "Sure, what is it?"

"Is the person who lost going to be alright?" Heinrich asked. "That looked like a pretty serious injury."

"Ah, he'll be fine," the man said. "Fights in the arena always look more vicious and brutal than they really are. It's part of the spectacle of the whole thing. There's actually many rules they follow in order to minimise the chances of anyone being killed or maimed." The man cleared his throat and continued in a louder voice, "Arena fighters are required to build up a layer of fat in addition to muscle, to give a measure of protection against blows. As a result, although their injuries may appear to be grievous, they are in fact superficial and rarely have long-term effects."

After hearing this, Heinrich looked more closely and noticed that the fighters were indeed quite a bit bulkier than he'd been expecting. However, none of them showed any signs of being hindered by their weight.

The man continued, "All of the weapons used in the arena are lighter and, in the case of swords and the like, not as sharp as the genuine article. This further lessens the severity of any injuries. Finally, whenever a fighter falls, they are taken away and immediately tended to by the finest healers in Grand Noah."

Heinrich nodded in understanding. Then he frowned slightly and asked, "Sorry if this is being nosy, but you wouldn't happen to be a teacher? It's just, the way you were speaking – "

"I am!" The man replied. "Sorry about that just now, I just entered the same mood as when I'm at work. My name is Arthur, and I'm a tutor for a noble family. What's your name?"

"Ah, my name is Heinrich, and I'm a – a traveller out to experience the world," Heinrich said, a little worried that his introduction wasn't impressive enough.

"Travelling around the world? That sounds like an interesting endeavour" Arthur said, holding his chin in thought. "Heinrich… if I remember correctly, that's a name from the south part of the Noah region."

"That's right," Heinrich said. "How on earth did you know that?"

"Oh, that's nothing," Arthur said, waving a hand dismissively. "I've been around for a long time and learned a few things. But the more you learn, the more you realise how much you don't know – but I digress. Anyway, do you have more questions? I've been visiting the arena ever since I was your age and I consider myself something of a fan."

The two of them talked for the better part of ten minutes. Arthur explained the history of the arena: it was built fifty years ago as a venue to hold various events, though the sport of fighting had been around for much longer than that. Games were held every two weeks and were free to all, though the wealthy could purchase front-row seats for a better view. Every three months, a major tournament was held to commemorate the passing of the seasons. Being a fighter in the arena was an extremely lucrative prospect, with some of the wealthiest men in the city being former fighters who'd won tournaments, but also dangerous – the risk of death was ever-present, despite all of the precautions taken.

As Arthur described some of the more famous fighters, Heinrich started getting the impression that there was something wrong. Despite describing himself as a fan, Arthur had little excitement in his voice as he spoke. He regularly took his eyes away from the arena as he answered Heinrich's questions, showing no signs of caring for the spectacle. Eventually, Heinrich worked up the nerve to ask about this.

"Excuse me, Arthur, but you don't seem to be all that interested in the fighting. Is there something wrong?"

Arthur looked away, then sighed. "Yes… there is. You see, three days ago, one of my friends went missing. He was in his home one day, perfectly healthy and happy, and vanished the next day. I went to the city guard, only to learn that several others have disappeared as well. They don't have any clues – those missing seem to have nothing in common, coming from all walks of life, and no signs of a struggle were found in any of their homes." Arthur cradled his face in his hands. "I – I don't know what I should do – what I even _can_ do. I followed my usual habit and came here, thinking it might distract me, but…"

As Arthur trailed off, Heinrich tried to think of a way to comfort him. The first thing that came to mind was 'I'm sorry for your loss', but he quickly dismissed that for obvious reasons. He eventually said, "I'm sorry for making you remember that. I hope that your friend, and everyone else who's disappeared, will be found safe and sound."

Arthur gave a small smile. "Thank you," he said quietly. "For now, please… please leave me alone."

Heinrich did as instructed. Arthur looked distantly towards the centre of the arena, his eyes not focusing on any fight in particular.

Then Heinrich turned back towards Alicetroemeria, who'd been glancing at the conversation for some time.

"Did you hear all of that?" Heinrich asked.

"I did, but I didn't jump in because I wanted you to practice talking to other people," Alicetroemeria said. "Anyway, what Arthur said worries me. When we were in the inn, I hear some other people mention the disappearances as well."

"Do you have any idea of what might be causing this?" Heinrich asked. It seemed a bit implausible, but Alicetroemeria had demonstrated surprising knowledge of a number of topics.

"Welll… you could say that, but I'd prefer not to explain it out in the open like this," Alicetroemeria said, glancing around. "Better wait until we're somewhere private. I'd also like to get more information first."

They therefore stood up and left the seats. The action in the arena was still ongoing, but at this point Heinrich wouldn't have been able to enjoy it even if he'd remained.

-ooo-

After leaving the arena, the two of them roamed the streets for a while. Alicetroemeria homed in on groups of people who looked worried and inserted herself into their conversations. She did this with a practiced ease that left Heinrich quietly amazed. Soon, she had uncovered more information about the mysterious disappearances: they had been occurring for the past six months, all of the victims were men, and at least twenty men had gone missing, potentially more.

Eventually, Alicetroemeria led Heinrich to a small alley in a relatively quiet corner of the city. She looked around nervously and chewed on her thumbnail. Then she turned to Heinrich and said, "Alright, I'll be frank with you. I think that monsters may be behind these disappearances."

Heinrich hesitated before replying, "What makes you think that?"

Alicetroemeria shifted about in a way that reminded Heinrich of a child who'd been caught doing something wrong. She said, "Hrmmm… to explain that, I first need to tell you more about monsters. Okay, so you know how all monsters are female, right? And when a monster has a child, it's almost always another monster. There's a really low chance, something like on in a hundred, of the child being a human boy, though with a trace of monster blood."

"Wait, what did you say?" Heinrich said, shocked. "Monsters can have… part-human children?"

"Yeah, although I don't quite remember what the biological reasons for this – but that's getting away from the point," Alicetroemeria said, shaking her head. "Anyway, the point is that in monster society – from what I've heard – it's pretty hard to find husbands. Because of that, _sometimes_ , there are some monsters who decide to go out and kidnap men. I think that's what's happening here. Since everyone who's disappeared is a man and they have nothing else in common, I think that this is the more plausible explanation."

"Hmm… that does make sense, but how would the monsters be kidnapping men so easily?" Heinrich asked.

Alicetroemeria looked away in embarrassment. "Actually, I don't really know how they're doing that," she admitted. "Since this is all happening at night, I assume that nocturnal monsters are responsible, as they'd be able to move around in the dark without a light, and so avoid being detected. But that's all I can figure out at this stage."

After some thinking, Heinrich asked, "Say, is there any magic which can be used to make people sleep – or rather, to keep them asleep? That would help them kidnap people without attracting any attention. I've heard of such a thing in stories, but I'm not sure if it actually exists."

Hearing this, Alicetroemeria buried her face in her hands and shook with even more embarrassment. "Argh, I can't believe I didn't think of that!" she said.

"It's – it's not a big deal," Heinrich said quickly. "Most people don't spend their time thinking of ways to kidnap people." Then he realised that the same principle applied to him, and continued, "Wait, forget what I just said. Let's just – let's just keep going, alright? We need to focus on trying to stop the kidnappings."

Alicetroemeria sighed. "You're right," she said. "There are spells for that, but since I was never all that interested in using them… No, you're right, it's not the time for that. Anyway, since there have been at least twenty cases and the city guard still has no clues, it's pretty likely that the kidnappers have someone capable of using sleep spells." Alicetroemeria tilted her head in thought. "That said, while subtle magic like that isn't as detectable as, say, fireballs, it still has some signs – if I remember correctly. Grand Noah must have mages of its own, and I doubt that they would all be asleep at night. Some of them would definitely be on duty to detect any unfamiliar magic. None of the rumours we've heard mention anything about this. We'd have to ask the city mages personally to be certain, but if I'm right, the kidnappers must have a mage with a decent level of skill."

Heinrich blinked. "That's… you've put a lot of thought into that," he said.

Alicetroemeria raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying that thinking isn't something I normally do?"

"Wha – no!" Heinrich said, shaking his head frantically. "It's meant to be a compliment." Deciding to change the subject, he added, "Anyway, while that sounds plausible, I don't think we'll be able to talk to any of the city mages to confirm it."

"Why not?" Alicetroemeria asked.

"Well… because we're strange travellers who only just came to Grand Noah?" Heinrich explained. "It's unlikely that the city guard would bother listening to us, let alone the city mages."

Alicetroemeria looked puzzled. She said tentatively, "Hold on, I'm sure if we just walk in and ask them politely, they'll listen to us. We've got some important information."

Heinrich was silent for a few moments. While it wasn't the first clue he'd noticed, it was one of the more obvious ones. Alicetroemeria's behaviour was just too strange, even for someone ostensibly from an isolated village where monsters were accepted. Still, he decided that if Alicetroemeria wanted to conceal the fact that she was a noble, that wasn't his business for now.

"No, I don't think that would work," Heinrich said. "At the very least, I think that we should wait and keep gathering information, so that we can present something more solid to them."

After some more persuasion, Heinrich eventually got Alicetroemeria to agree to this. They left the alley with the goal of finding out more about the situation.

They didn't expect to discover something new in less than a minute.

When passing by a noticeboard, Heinrich noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Upon taking a closer look, he immediately called out for Alicetroemeria to stop.

In a prominent position at the centre of the noticeboard was the following poster:

 _WARRIORS WANTED_

 _Monsters sighted in forest west of city. Believed to be responsible for recent disappearances. Calling for at least twenty warriors, preferably with experience fighting monsters, to head out under the leadership of a Hero and rid these lands of their dark presence. Those who take part will be rewarded with gold and the knowledge of fulfilling their duty to the Goddess._


	6. Chapter 5: The First Mystery

**AN: It's been a while since my last update, but here's another extra-long chapter to make up for it. For the latest updates I recommend reading my story on Spacebattles (threads/the-tyrant-and-the-hero-monster-girl-quest.600149/), where I post in small chunks rather than entire chapters at once. Additionally, I've decided to stop alternating POVs every chapter as it was unnecessarily restrictive and didn't really add much to the story. Now I'll switch POV within a chapter when necessary.**

 **UPDATE 20/11/18: Edited so that Mary is referred to by her birth name by the narration**

* * *

After seeing the poster, Alicetroemeria had immediately gone back to hunting for information again. There wasn't a lot as the monsters had been sighted relatively recently, compared to the disappearances. She did discover that the monsters in question were likely beast monsters and that the most recent signs of their presence were a few inhuman footprints spotted three days ago.

While Alicetroemeria wanted to continue asking around, Heinrich pointed out that dusk was approaching. Businesses were beginning to close and the crowds were thinning.

They then set out to find accommodation, a task that proved more difficult than Heinrich had expected. The first two inns they visited had no free rooms. However, they struck gold with the third inn, which was called "The Delectable Boar" according to the sign above the door. It was aptly named on account of its signature dish. While Heinrich had doubts as to whether the stew they received actually contained any boar meat, it was delicious nevertheless. But it also revealed to him that Alicetroemeria was not her usual self – she had only eaten as much of it as a normal human.

They made their way to their room. It was relatively roomy by Heinrich's standards, though it was small compared to some of the other rooms he'd seen in the city. It had a tiny crack of a window, a small table with a lit candle on top, and a single bed. Heinrich was concerned about the last of these: the bed was barely longer than the average person's height and narrow enough that two people would essentially have to embrace each other to fit. Heinrich was thinking of giving Alicetroemeria the bed and sleeping on the floor – it wouldn't be any less comfortable than what he was used to – but couldn't think of a tactful way to raise the topic.

While Heinrich was struggling with this issue, Alicetroemeria was sitting on the foot of the bed, deep in thought. Eventually, she stood up and declared, "Alright, all this thinking is making me sleepy! We won't get anywhere if we keep staying up, so we should get to bed so that we're well-rested for tomorrow."

The sudden speech startled Heinrich. "R-Right," he said. "Say, I was thinking – "

"You can sleep on the bed," Alicetroemeria said, gesturing towards the furniture in question. "I'll take the floor."

"What?" Heinrich said. "No, that's – "

"It's fine, it's fine," Alicetroemeria said, waving a hand dismissively. "I'm okay with the floor, and I know that you haven't had the chance to sleep on a proper bed for – for – wait, when _was_ the last time you slept on an actual bed?"

"Well… if you're referring to a bed like this, I don't think I've ever slept on one," Heinrich answered truthfully.

"Well, there you go!" Alicetroemeria said. "Don't worry about me, just indulge yourself for once."

After some more discussion, they settled on their sleeping arrangements. Heinrich was on the bed and Alicetroemeria on the floor, but the former insisted on at least giving the latter the blanket from the bed. They extinguished the candle illuminating the room and prepared to sleep.

Heinrich closed his eyes but his mind continued to work.

First, there was the manner in which Alicetroemeria had pressed him into the current situation. Even though he wasn't good at social interactions, Alicetroemeria's words had seemed a little too hurried, her smile just a fraction too wide.

Second, there was Alicetroemeria's lack of objections to sleeping roughly. He hadn't thought of it much before, but perhaps because they were now in a proper bedroom his mind was drawn to such a topic. From what he'd seen and heard so far, Alicetroemeria was used to a more comfortable lifestyle – a _substantially_ more comfortable lifestyle, if his suspicions were correct. And yet she was fine with sleeping on the ground and on the floor, something that should leave anyone not used to it aching in the morning. Did she use her magic to make herself tougher? That was a possibility, but it seemed like a waste of magical energy to do so the entire night – not that Heinrich was an expert in such things.

Finally, his thoughts turned to the current mystery of Grand Noah. He spent what felt like several minutes thinking about the culprits and their possible methods and motivations. Eventually, he decided that there simply wasn't enough information for him to make any conclusions.

But after Heinrich allowed himself to relax, he heard a faint creak. It was nearly imperceptible, due to noise from people in nearby rooms that were still awake, and Heinrich initially wondered if he'd imagined the sound. This was disproven when he slightly opened one eye. Thanks to the moonlight streaming in from the window, he was able to see the faint silhouette of Alicetroemeria standing up. Alicetroemeria moved to the door and paused for a moment, then opened it as quietly as possible and slipped out.

Once he was certain she was out of earshot, Heinrich got up and headed towards the door, confused by what had just happened. He noticed a piece of paper that was attached to the door by a small metal pin. He brought the paper over to the window to read it.

 _If all goes well, there won't be any need for this message, but this is just in case. Heinrich, I'm going out to investigate on my own. I should be back before sunrise. Don't worry, I'll be okay._

Heinrich read the message once, then read it a second time, just to make sure he hadn't mistaken anything in the dim light. Once he was certain that he'd read everything correctly, he walked unsteadily over to the bed and slumped onto it.

 _What the hell am I supposed to do now!?_

-ooo-

The moon and stars were mostly obscured by clouds, but this proved no hindrance to Mary. She practically flew through the dark woods, smoothly weaving from side to side to avoid trees, jumping over logs and rocks in a way that deer would envy.

"Hmm, I hope that Heinrich's sleeping alright," Mary said to herself. She was fairly certain that he was asleep when she left, but she was hardly an expert on what humans sounded like when they slept.

Regardless, she had to do this. Any monsters around Grand Noah would undoubtedly hide during the day, the time of the greatest human activity. Only at night would she have the opportunity to find them and talk to them to see what they knew. And if it turned out that they were the ones responsible for the kidnappings… that was the part she wasn't so sure about.

But that was unlikely. Beast monsters weren't known for their magical skill – though there were exceptions – nor for having natural sedatives of any kind. Talking to them was still potentially useful, though, as they'd be alert to the activities of other monsters in their territory.

A small part of Mary pointed out that she was just deferring an issue that she'd have to confront eventually. She suppressed it, insisting that she should handle things one at a time.

Mary reviewed what she knew about beast monsters. Most of it came from gossip from her numerous friends and acquaintances.

As a rule, beasts lived closer to the wild than many other monsters, gathering everything that they need to live themselves. They would never stay in a location without adequate food, water or shelter. The exact nature of these resources varied depending on the exact race of beast monster, though – for example, a herbivorous beast would see a flock of deer as competition, while a carnivorous one would see a walking feast.

At the same time, beasts were wary of potential threats. If they were staying close enough to a human city for its population to put out a bounty on them, they would certainly keep away from any roads or trails frequented by humans. In all likelihood, they would have picked a location surrounded by steep cliffs, inaccessible to humans without considerable magic enhancement.

With these facts in mind, after reaching a safe distance from Grand Noah, Mary had scoured the contents of her magic cabinet and found a map of the geography of the Noah region. It had taken her the better part of an hour to remember her lessons on how to interpret such a map, but it was time well spent.

Grand Noah, like many other settlements, was built near a major river. This river had numerous tributaries that provided irrigation to the surrounding farms and supported a vast expanse of woods. The beast monsters would not be anywhere near the farms, so Mary could safely rule them out.

The land surrounding Grand Noah was relatively even, with few hills or cliffs. There were three locations on the map where the terrain provided a natural barrier on all sides. Of these, only one was close to a water body. It was a roughly oval-shaped area, just over one kilometre long and less than half that in width, located to the south of the city.

Once she was sure of her destination, Mary stood up and took off at a sprint. At the rate she was going, it would take her less than ten minutes to reach the probable lair of the beast monsters. Once she was there, she could narrow down the location further with her keen sense of smell.

Of course, reality has a tendency to ruin even the best of plans. And this plan, needless to say, was not one of the best.

Approximately five minutes after Mary started sprinting, she felt a presence in front of her. A shadow emerged from amidst the trees and revealed itself to be a monster with triangular ears, golden eyes, powerful limbs covered in brown fur and tipped with sharp claws, and a bushy tail – a Wolf Girl.

Mary skidded to a stop. She was mildly surprised at having been detected first, but not enough to break her confidence. She opened her mouth and was about to say a cheerful greeting –

– when another Wolf Girl approached from behind her, deliberately stepping on leaves to announce her presence.

 _Now_ Mary was very surprised at the situation. She still didn't feel any fear, despite being surrounded, but she was caught off guard and unable to respond for a few seconds.

The Wolf Girls weren't bright and cheerful like the ones she'd had a tea party with a few years ago. They didn't bare their teeth, raise their paws to strike, or make any other obvious threatening gestures, but the hostile atmosphere they gave off ensured that even Mary could not mistake their intent.

After her moment of indecision, Mary was again seized by the boundless optimism that had carried her through life so far. She cleared her throat and said, "Hi there! Sorry if I interrupted you with anything. I'm here because I'd like to ask you about some strange disappearances that have been happening recently in the human city near here. Would you happen to know anything about that?"

The Wolf Girl in front narrowed her eyes. She gave a low growl that elicited a similar growl from the other Wolf Girl in response. This was something that Mary found unsettling. Her ears were capable of detecting the subtle inflections in the sound that humans and many monsters would have missed. On top of that, she had at least a passable level of proficiency in dozens of different monster dialects, spanning those used by a wide variety of races. Yet she couldn't understand what the Wolf Girls had just said at all.

The Wolf Girls held a brief conversation in this manner, with Mary none the wiser as to what they were talking about. However, they eventually seemed to come to an agreement. The first Wolf Girl took a deep breath and _howled_. The sound pierced through the night and shook Mary to her core. Then the Wolf Girl locked eyes with Mary. She still didn't say anything in the common tongue, but she didn't need to. The message was clear: "Wait here, or else".

The wait seemed like hours, yet must have only been minutes. Soon enough, more beast monsters arrived. One after another, they emerged from the darkness in absolute silence. There were three newcomers, each a different race: a third Wolf Girl, a hulking Bear Girl, and a fearsome-looking Tiger Girl.

Once it appeared that no more were going to arrive, Mary decided to speak up again. She said, "Hi there, thanks for taking the time to come here, I – "

"You." The Tiger Girl, who seemed to be the leader of the group, said abruptly. "You're not human. What are you?"

"We –well," Mary said, having just remembered that she wasn't supposed to reveal that she was a monster, "I'm sorry, but you're wrong about that – "

"Spare me the lies," the Tiger Girl said. "I've been around a long time. No human would go out this far at night, or be so confident when surrounded by us. I won't ask again – _what are you_?"

This expression of naked hostility wasn't something that Mary was accustomed to, not from a fellow monster. She pondered her next words carefully before replying, "I'm sorry, but I can't answer that question."

The Bear Girl growled and stepped forward. The Tiger Girl held out a hand to stop her, saying, "No. A monster this good at pretending to be human isn't someone you can handle." She turned back towards Mary, clearly expecting an answer to her previous question.

"I – I'm sorry, but I really can't tell you who I am," Mary said. "All I can say is that I'm not trying to trick you or anything. I just want to know any information you have on the disappearances in Grand Noah."

These words did not improve the atmosphere of the beast monsters. They seemed to feel a mixture of anger at Mary's refusal to give a straight answer and disbelief at her persistence.

The Tiger Girl stepped forward and began to circle around Mary, inspecting her warily. Even though Mary was certain of her advantage in physical strength – to say nothing of the difference in magic – she couldn't help but feel intimidated at the presence given off by the Tiger Girl.

Eventually, the Tiger Girl stopped, crossing her arms while deep in thought. She said, "I can't tell whether you're just that naïve, or an extremely good spy, or some mixture of both." When Mary perked up at this, the Tiger Girl continued, "That was _not_ a compliment. Anyway… I've decided to tell you what you're after. _But_ , let me make this clear. I don't trust you at all. I'm doing this to stop you from tearing up the forest and possibly drawing the humans' attention to our home. And I'm not telling you anything that a spy wouldn't already know, or anything that puts us at risk."

Mary let out a sigh of relief. Trying to keep the excitement out of her voice, she said, "Thank you. So, ah, first of all, do you have any idea who's responsible for these disappearances?"

The Tiger Girl narrowed her eyes and asked, "Before I answer that, I need to know: how much do you know about Plansect Village?"

Mary froze, not expecting a question that might have been asked by her tutors. A mess of half-remembered facts swirled around her brain as she struggled to formulate an answer. She eventually replied, "Uhh, I've heard that relationships between the plants and insects of that village have been bad for at least a hundred years, and sometimes it gets to the point where they outright start fighting – "

The Tiger Girl snorted. "You're not from around here, are you?" she said. "Every monster in the Noah region, and even some of the humans, know that the plants and insects are preparing for war. Both sides have been scouring the country, looking for anything that could potentially help them. Recently, it's gotten bad enough that we've started merging our packs together for safety."

Mary fell silent at this. That explained why beasts of different races were acting together, when they normally would never even share territory.

The Tiger Girl continued, "Right now, the main thing they're looking for seems to be men. Since both plants and insects breed quickly, as long as they get enough juice they can increase their fighting forces. And lately, there's been a lot of insects buzzing around here. We're not certain about what they're doing… but it's clear from their scent that they mean trouble. That's all I'm willing to tell you."

"Thank you, you've been very helpful," Mary said. After thinking for a few moments, she decided that other members of the beast pack might know more. She asked, "If you don't mind, could you show me to your home so I can – "

Mary stopped and flinched at the sudden spike in hostility from the beast monsters. While they had already been wary of her, now they seemed ready to pounce and tear out her throat.

With barely-restrained anger, the Tiger Girl answered, "If you value your life, _don't_ ask things like that." She motioned to the others, who began walking away, and added, "Stay away from our territory."

Within a matter of seconds, the beast monsters disappeared into the darkness, still without producing a sound.

Mary began slowly heading back to Grand Noah. As she walked, she contemplated issues that had never entered her mind before.

As far as she could remember, everyone in the Monster Lord's Castle had been kind to Mary Fateburn, the future Monster Lord Alice Fateburn VIII. There was the obvious exception of her sister Dinah, and her mother had always been strict in the name of toughening her up, but in general everyone had been kind to her. She could wander anywhere in the castle and be accepted. That was something that she'd considered a fact of life, something she'd never questioned. It was the foundation of her belief that she could make anyone get along by talking to them.

And yet everything about the encounter just now had been the opposite. From start to finish, the beast monsters had been ready to attack the moment she gave them an excuse. To them, she was never a potential friend, only a potential threat. It was a level of paranoia that she simply wasn't equipped to deal with.

Mary hugged herself and shivered slightly. Her eyes should have been unaffected by this level of darkness, and her body should have been unaffected by the cold air, but for some reason she felt a trace of fear.

The walls of Grand Noah came into sight. Mary tried to ignore the slight sense of relief she felt at making it back.

Mary climbed to the top of a tall tree and, as she had done when sneaking out of the city, observed the movements of the guards. She didn't spend quite as long as she had the first time – something that wasn't entirely due to having more experience. Once there was a gap in the security, she leapt from branch to branch and then on to the top of the wall. She landed almost silently and, without stopping, sprinted to the other side of the wall and jumped on to the roof of a building.

While jumping from roof to roof, Mary recalled the note she'd left on the door of the inn room. All she had to do was take it down and slip back into bed and Heinrich would be none the wiser about this particular excursion.

Mary stopped on the roof of a building just opposite the Delectable Boar. She scanned the street carefully to make sure that there was nobody watching. There weren't any, unless she counted the several stray cats who were hunting prey in a nearby alley. She made her way to the inn and entered through a window on the second floor that opened into the corridor.

As she tiptoed down the corridor, Mary heard some faint noises from one of the rooms. Unable to restrain her curiosity, she moved closer and discovered that the occupants of the room were unmistakeably having sex. She covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a giggle. It was a minor distraction, all things considered, but it helped lift her mood.

Mary reached her and Heinrich's room and placed her hand on the doorknob. She decided that now wasn't the time to think about everything she'd learned tonight. She would get a few hours sleep and be refreshed in the morning, ready to start sleuthing again.

She opened the door and saw Heinrich sitting on the bed.

He was very much not asleep.

-ooo-

If silence had weight, then this was a silence that could have crushed a dragon to death.

A minute passed in which the two of them simply did not look at each other. From Mary's perspective, Heinrich was just as intimidating as her mother during one of the latter's periods of tranquil fury, even though he was half the size and had a millionth of the power of her mother.

Of course, the silence didn't last forever. Eventually, Mary decided to try and lighten the mood. She forced her face into the biggest smile she could manage and said brightly, "Hi, Heinrich! I know you must have been worried when you woke up and saw me missing, but here I am, back safe and sound. And I have some good news, too!"

Heinrich didn't show any visible reaction to this. That was, in its own way, scarier than if he'd started shouting in anger. Mary was left unable to say anything else.

Finally, Heinrich said, "Welcome back, Alicetroemeria. I'm glad you're safe. You should go to bed."

Again, it was the lack of emotion in these words that unnerved Mary. She almost took it at face value and was about to agree, but then she noticed the subtle warning signs: the way Heinrich avoided looking her in the eye, the slight shaking of his hands.

Gritting her teeth, Mary marched forward and said, "Alright, I know that you're upset about this, so – so please don't keep it bottled up in yourself. I know that you're mad. If you try and keep hiding it, it'll just end up hurting you, me, and anyone else you interact with." When this wasn't enough to produce a response, Mary decided to go further and said, "I know that you must have learned to keep your emotions hidden, with – with your past. But you have to learn to open up. Again, I promise I won't get mad at you."

Even after this, Heinrich remained silent for some time. He kept his eyes fixed on the floor while slowly clenching and unclenching his fists. Mary couldn't help but fidget with uncertainty.

Eventually, Heinrich stood up and began to speak.

"…Okay. If you want to know the truth, I'll tell you." Heinrich raised his eyes and, in a voice that undoubtedly woke up everyone else in the inn, shouted, "Do you have any idea of what you put me through? Do you have any idea of what I felt when I saw you leave, how I felt when I read that note? I didn't know what I was supposed to do! Should I run out after you and try and find you? Should I go to the guards and beg them to try and help? I didn't even know if you were still alive! For all I knew, you might have been knifed by a thug and left to die in an alley somewhere! What the hell were you thinking!"

Mary recoiled in shock at this tirade. Not even her mother had ever yelled at her with such force. For a moment, her combative spirit lit up and she considered escalating the situation with a harsh retort. But she calmed down and realised that would only widen the rift between them.

Heinrich lowered his gaze again and didn't say anything. Although it was unnerving, Mary decided to take the opportunity to think carefully about her situation and how to respond.

 _Calm down, Mary. You said you wouldn't get mad at him for saying his mind. You can't go back on that now._

 _But why did he say that? No one's ever dared to say that to me before –_

 _Hold on – the beasts earlier also didn't pull their punches when it came to talking to me. And, now that I think about it, neither did the bandits all the way back in Finoa._

 _Ever since I went out on this journey, I've met people who treated me like nobody in the Monster Lord's Castle would. But they can't all just be acting rude to me, not all of them. What's different?_

 _Is it that I'm pretending to be human? But the beasts before saw through that and they didn't hesitate to yell at me. And that doesn't explain why the humans would be treating me differently – why would humans treat each other worse than monsters treat each other?_

Mary buried her face in her hands. _It doesn't make any sense. Back in the castle, almost everyone I talked to was nice to me. Even if I made mistakes, they'd be understanding and wouldn't hold it against me. Even though I was the Monster Lord's daughter, they didn't treat me any different from… from…_

 _It can't be… did they only listen to me_ because _I was the Monster Lord's daughter? That's… but they… they… No. All of them, even the Queen monsters, had a lower status than me. The only ones who were willing to criticise me, and do it seriously… were Mother and Dinah._

 _…What have I been doing?_

Mary's storm of emotions must have shown on her face or in her body language. At least, it was enough for Heinrich to notice and look concerned.

Mary shook her head and slapped herself on the cheek to clear her head. She looked Heinrich in the eye and said, "Alright, enough thinking." For a moment she wondered if a shortage of thinking had led to her current predicament, then shook her head again and continued, "Anyway, I need to apologise. You're right, I shouldn't have just gone out on my own like that. I should have talked to you first. It's my fault." As she said this, Mary bowed deeply.

Heinrich was caught off guard at first. He managed to compose himself enough to say, "I – thank you." After that, he fidgeted uncomfortably and couldn't meet Mary's eyes.

Mary was surprised at this reaction until she figured out the reason for it. Even if she had told him to speak his mind, Heinrich was still used to keeping to himself and not communicating with others. That wasn't a problem that could be solved instantly.

After some more thought, Mary continued, "If you don't want to say anything else, that's fine. I just want you to know that I really am sorry for this. I definitely won't do anything like this again. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you… again, you don't have to say it right now, but don't be afraid to tell me."

"Well… really, all I wanted to say was that I was worried," Heinrich replied in a quiet voice. "I know that you're strong, a lot stronger than I am, but anyone can be caught by surprise. Please be more careful in the future."

Mary wanted to retort that she could only be threatened by monsters that were at least Queen-class, but again restrained herself. Quite apart from the need to maintain her cover, that kind of reply wouldn't help at all in this situation.

"I'll bear that in mind," Mary said. "Anyway, I'm not trying to excuse myself with this, but I did get some useful information from this. Do you want to hear it right now?"

Heinrich considered this and replied, "That sounds interesting, but right now I'm a bit too tired. Maybe in the morning."

Mary was hardly going to argue with this, as she was starting to feel a little sleepy herself. Thus the two of them settled back into their original sleeping arrangements.

When Mary lay on the floor, she initially continued thinking about how her status had affected her previous social interactions. But after everything she'd gone through today, she was simply too tired and her thoughts quickly became an incoherent mess. She therefore resolved to continue this tomorrow as well.

-ooo-

The atmosphere wasn't nearly as tense the next morning. The two of them still felt awkward looking at and talking to each other, though. Part of it was because they'd had the chance to sleep, if only for a few hours, removing some of the tension that had contributed to the argument. And part of it was because they were facing a much more important issue.

They were now ninety-nine percent certain that the kidnappings were the work of monsters. Mary explained everything she'd heard from the beast monsters. While Heinrich was both incredulous and sceptical of the story, he didn't outright disbelieve it, possibly because it was too bizarre for him to deem it a lie. However, the beasts either didn't have any more information or weren't going to share it, so they would need to find the rest out for themselves.

Fortunately, now that she had a better idea of what they were dealing with, Mary would be able to better apply her senses to find clues.

First things first, they needed to decide where to go. The logical choice was to investigate the homes of the men who had been kidnapped, as the kidnappers had definitely been there and the chances of finding evidence were highest. However, these locations would undoubtedly be under investigation by the Grand Noah authorities as well. As newcomers to the city, it was highly unlikely that Mary and Heinrich would be allowed to enter these places.

The second option was to continue exploring the city: asking people for what they knew, listening in on conversations, and examining noticeboards. This had its own downside – the tendency of information to change as it was passed from person to person until it became something completely different. That was something that Mary had learned from her usual hobby of listening to gossip. In one memorable example, she had heard from one person that the head maid was taking in injured animals as pets, while another swore that she was instead eating them alive to satisfy some crazy fetish.

Incidentally, the former had been the truth.

After some debate, they decided to go with the first option. Even if they couldn't get into the actual buildings, looking from the outside could provide some useful information. For example, if they knew the size and shape of the windows and doors, they could estimate the size and shape of the kidnappers.

The first place they checked was the house of Arthur's friend, who was also a tutor. Since his disappearance had happened just four days ago, there were half a dozen members of the city watch there to investigate. They kept a close watch on the building, eyeing the various passers-by with suspicion and turning away any who dared to approach. Like this, they wouldn't even be able to observe from a distance.

When he realised the situation, Heinrich shook his head and said that they should try elsewhere. Mary disagreed with this, reasoning that any evidence that might be lying around would be fresher here than anywhere else. At least, it wouldn't hurt to try talking to the guards – even if they were outsiders to the city, it wasn't like the guards were going to attack them in broad daylight.

As Mary walked towards the house, she went through a list of possible tactics. On a whim, she decided to try one that she had heard about but never personally used: seduction. It was a tactic commonly used by monsters in stories to manipulate humans. From what she'd heard, appealing to the baser instincts was a great way of distracting people for all kinds of purposes.

Mary changed her gait so that she was now putting one foot right in front of the other. It was a little difficult and she wobbled a couple of times, but she was sure she looked incredibly sexy right now! To finish the picture, she put on her most dazzling smile and slightly closed her eyes in a sultry gaze.

Mary approached the two guards standing on either side of the door and said cheerfully, "Hi there! It's a nice day today, isn't it? What are two handsome fellows like you doing just standing around?"

The two men didn't blush, tremble or do any of the other things that Mary expected of them. They merely glared at her. One of them eventually answered, "Our jobs. It's our duty to protect this city."

Mary was caught off guard, but decided to keep going. She quickly reviewed the various methods she had heard for seducing men.

 _"The succubus leaned on the man, squishing her ample breasts into his chest. She brought her lips so close that her hot breaths tickled his ear, and whispered sweet nothings that filled the man's thoughts with wild delusions. Finally, she moved her hand down and slipped her fingers into the man's pants – "_

Mary shook her head furiously. Now _she_ was the one blushing and trembling in embarrassment. The young eventual Monster Lord buried her face in her hand and tried to think of another tactic that wasn't so – so –

 _"The slime smiled, a wicked grin that promised infernal delights. She ran a hand from her hip up to her breast, showing off the glistening delights of her viscous body. Closing her eyes, she focused and proceeded to split into two. Her resultant bodies sandwiched the man from both sides and – "_

An even deeper blush spread across Mary's face. Without even thinking of saying a hasty goodbye to the guards, she turned around and fled the scene.

Heinrich was waiting around the corner. He had a mix of emotions on his face, but Mary could tell that he was suppressing laughter. Before they moved on, she made him swear to never tell another soul about this incident.

The next place was the home of a tailor. He was the second-most recent victim, having disappeared two weeks ago. This house was also still being investigated, but thankfully the guards weren't as aggressively vigilant as the previous ones. Mary and Heinrich were able to blend in among the small crowd of curious onlookers.

This visit was more fruitful than the previous one. None of the windows or doors were particularly large, so the kidnappers would have to be human-sized or smaller, or be able to contort their bodies. Another notable factor was the numerous buildings nearby that were at least two storeys in height. This raised the possibility that the kidnappers were using the rooftops to get around discreetly, like Mary had done the previous night.

That gave Mary the idea of searching the rooftops herself. On one hand, any evidence there might have already blown away in the wind, but on the other hand, it wouldn't have had any random bystanders to accidentally destroy evidence. But there was the problem of how to get up there without attracting attention. There was always the option of waiting until night to do that, but…

Mary looked left and right, spotting a secluded alley. She slowly and casually walked over while making sure to look everywhere else but the alley. After a final check to make sure that no one was watching, she slipped inside the alley – only to find Heinrich already standing there, looking bemused.

"What are you doing?" Mary asked. "You should have followed my lead – what if someone saw you?"

"Well – how should I say this – the way you moved right now was more noticeable," Heinrich said. When Mary looked puzzled at this, he continued, "If you act like you have something to hide, people will notice. It's better to act naturally, as if you're not doing anything wrong. That's what I did just now. I just walked towards this alley and stepped in."

Mary was about to disagree, only to realise that _she_ hadn't noticed Heinrich arriving at the alley first. She lowered her head in embarrassment.

"Sorry about that…" Mary said. "I'll bear that in mind for the future. Anyway, I was thinking of climbing up to the roofs to check things out. I think that the kidnappers might be using the roofs to get in and out of the city without being spotted. That's how I got around last night."

Heinrich showed surprise at this, but he seemed to be growing accustomed to Mary's feats. "That sounds like a good idea," he said. "I'll wait here and keep an eye out. Please be careful."

Mary looked up at the wall. The buildings in this part of the city weren't in the best condition, so there were plenty of gaps in the wall. Even a normal human could climb it, so long as they weren't held back by their fear. Even in her current weaker form, Mary could have jumped to the top of the wall in a single bound – of course, that would be too suspicious if anyone else saw it. She therefore climbed it the slow way. It still took less than twenty seconds for her to scale three stories and reach the top.

Once she was standing on the roof, Mary looked around to make sure that no one besides Heinrich could see her. She then looked back down. For some reason, Heinrich was looking in a completely different direction. At first, Mary thought he was watching the alley's entrance, but on closer inspection he was actually looking at the ground. She wondered what he was doing, but shrugged and decided to move on.

Exploring the rooftops was an exhilarating experience. It allowed Mary to truly _see_ the city, without her vision being obstructed by the buildings. Granted, she had to remain crouched to avoid being seen and keep her eyes on the roofs to search for any evidence, but it was still nice to feel the sun and wind on her face.

There were a lot of things to see up here. Birds of all kinds were perched in every direction, some on their nests, squawking at the intruder to their territory. Scraps of paper and fabric, originally blown up by the wind, were trapped between the tiles. While some might have considered these mere rubbish and passed on, Mary was curious as to what they had originally been.

After a few minutes of searching, Mary found what she was looking for. Wedged in between two roof tiles was a piece of what initially looked like leather. Most people, human or monster, wouldn't have paid it a second look. But in Mary's eyes, there was something off about it. She pulled the object out and sniffed it, then rubbed it between her fingers. Exposure to the elements had partly degraded it, but there was no mistaking it. The object was a piece of insect monster exoskeleton, probably caught on the tiles while its owner was moving around, and abandoned in the darkness.

Mary continued looking around but didn't find anything else. She decided to head back down. When she arrived at the roof above the alley again, she saw Heinrich looking up only to bring his gaze back down to the ground again. Still confused about why he was doing this, Mary climbed back down.

Once they were standing together again, Mary showed the piece of exoskeleton to Heinrich and explained what it was. "I'm now positive that insect monsters are responsible for this," she said. "There's no other explanation for this to be here."

Heinrich nodded and said. "What should we do now?"

"For now, I think we should keep looking at the places where the disappearances have happened," Mary said.

The two of them continued to explore the sites of the kidnappings. However, they didn't have as much luck as in the second location. While the other ones were no longer being guarded by the city watch, the doors and windows had been boarded up. It seemed that no one dared to move into the houses whose previous occupants had disappeared so mysteriously. Since breaking in was hardly an option, they could only examine the exteriors of the buildings, which didn't uncover any new information.

At some point, Heinrich decided to buy a map of the city, on which he marked the locations of the disappearances, each with a number representing how many weeks ago it had happened. He held the map in several different ways, trying to see any patterns, but was unable to find any.

Eventually, it was late in the afternoon. The sun was getting quite low in the sky as they finished checking out the twelfth house. Mary decided that they should try out the thirteenth before finishing for the day. For some reason, Heinrich looked a bit uncomfortable when she made this suggestion.

The thirteenth house was actually outside the city walls. It was really more of a cottage than a house, really. The previous inhabitant had been a cranky old farmer who'd insisted on living alone and being self-sufficient. The cottage wasn't locked and they were able to get in to investigate. The interior didn't look out of the ordinary for a farmer's residence: a wooden cot with a straw mattress, a table and a chair, a few pots, farming tools and other assorted items.

It was when they left the cottage that something odd happened. Just out of the corner of her eye, Mary spotted a flash of light in the distance. When she turned to look, she spotted a familiar silhouette amidst the shadows of the trees. After some thought, Mary beckoned for Heinrich to follow her, and they headed into the forest.

Once they were deep enough, the Tiger Girl showed herself. She wasn't any friendlier than she had been last night, glaring at the two of them with suspicion.

"I'll make this quick," the Tiger Girl said. "Today, we saw a group of insects, at least a dozen of them, gathering near the city. They're probably planning on taking more men tonight."

Mary blinked, then beamed at the apparent gesture of goodwill from the Tiger Girl. "Thank you," she said. "I can't tell you how much this information is useful to us. Did you really wait here all this time – "

"Don't bother thanking me," the Tiger Girl said. "This whole thing is a problem for us beasts as well. When I saw the insects gathering, I decided to wait here in case you came along. That's all there is to it."

Mary was slightly put out by the Tiger Girl's rude reply, but thanks to some newfound caution decided not to press the issue. She then noticed that Heinrich was, inexplicably, looking away from the Tiger Girl and blushing heavily. She asked him, "Wait, what's wrong, Heinrich? I told you that you don't need to be afraid of monsters."

"…Are you serious?" the Tiger Girl said in a scorn-filled voice. "I already you knew you were ignorant, but I thought someone like you would at least know about humans. Tell me, how many humans have you seen that go around naked?"

After hearing this, Mary understood her point. She remembered Heinrich's similar reaction to the alraune on the way to Grand Noah. However, she then realised that this topic risked exposing her true nature to Heinrich, so she quickly said, "I – well, sorry about that! Anyway, thank you for taking the time to tell me this, we really have to be going now, goodbye!"

Before Heinrich had time to suspect anything, Mary quickly pulled on his collar and dragged him away. She looked back when she reached the edge of the forest, only to find that the Tiger Girl had left without leaving any trace of her presence.

While they were walking back to the city, Heinrich said, "So – " he coughed in an effort to disguise his embarrassment, "so, do all monsters not wear clothes?"

"Not all of u – them do," Mary replied. "Monsters will wear clothing for formal occasions, or armour for battle, various things like that. But a lot of monsters, like beast monsters, live out in the wild where it would be hard to make clothes and they'd easily get caught on things. Not to mention that monsters are generally tough enough that they don't need clothes to protect themselves from the cold. But anyway," Mary quickly changed the subject, "what about what we just heard? What do you think of this new information?"

Heinrich thought for a while. "A group of monsters approaching the city sounds dangerous," he said. "I was wondering if you might have been lied to last night, but with the insect exo – exoskeleton that you found earlier, it seems that it's the truth."

"Yeah, that's right!" Mary said. "I was worried about how things went last night, but it looks like I managed to get through to them after all! Their leader even came all the way here and waited for me!"

Heinrich looked down. "Um… this might be because I never got along with others growing up, but I don't think it's like that. I think that the beast monster told you this information because she was hoping you would take out the insect monsters for her."

"What? There's no way that's the case," Mary said. "She wouldn't go to all this trouble just for… just for…"

Mary trailed off and was unable to meet Heinrich's eyes. The Monster Lord-in-training had gone through her life so far optimistic about being able to get along with anyone and everyone… but recent events were seriously beginning to challenge that.

-ooo-

The two of them hurried back to the city before the gates closed for the night. Once safely inside the walls, they quickly made their way to the first inn to plan their next move. From the Tiger Girl's information, there was a good chance that the insect monsters were planning to attack tonight.

Heinrich pulled out the map again. It may have been desperation from the knowledge that monsters were going to invade the city in a few hours, but his mind seemed to be working in overdrive right now. He first asked Mary about the subtleties of getting around via rooftops and learned that, to reduce the chances of being seen, one should stick to buildings at least two storeys in height. Fortunately, the map displayed this information, in the form of a tiny number in the corner of each building. He also learned from Mary that it would be ideal to climb the city wall by jumping from a nearby tree. He marked out the places where the wall was close to the surrounding forest, totalling four in all, and began tracing possible routes from these places to the sites of the disappearances. After several minutes of frantic drawing, the two of them discovered some surprising conclusions.

There weren't that many possible routes for the kidnappers to take. For any given location, there were only two or three possible routes from the nearest entry point. Many would-be routes were cut short by one-storey-high buildings. Moreover, looking at the dates of the disappearances, the kidnappers hadn't tried to choose their targets at random. Instead, they had chosen a route leading from the north wall, then on their next visit chose one leading from the east wall, and so on in a clockwise rotation. Because of this, they could predict that the next kidnapping would take place using one of the routes from the west wall.

"This is weird," Mary said. "It's almost _too_ easy. Could it be some kind of trap?"

"But why would they go to all this trouble?" Heinrich replied. "And why would they set a trap in the first place? The kidnappers should be trying to get in and out without being spotted. The only people they could be expecting to trap would be the city watch, and if they were to lure them into an ambush and kill them, that would only make the whole city angry and cause an army to be sent against them. No, I think it's something simpler than that. It's – I think this could be best explained if I tell you a story. A couple of years ago, my village put on a festival to celebrate the spring. Everyone put their all into the preparations, double-checking everything to make sure it was perfect. But in the end, it ended up being a complete disaster because of a few things that people had overlooked, but which were obviously problems in hindsight. For example, one of the farmers was in too much of a hurry and didn't tie up his animals strongly enough – something he usually made certain to do – and they got free and went on a stampede. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that even when people do their best to plan everything out, there'll always be something they overlook, even if it's obvious."

"Hmm… that makes perfect sense," Mary said.

"Anyway, we have to tell the city watch about this," Heinrich said.

This raised an issue which Mary had been worrying about for a while. She was reluctant to leave the matter to the city watch for multiple reasons. In her experience, humans needed a significant numerical advantage – anywhere from three on one to twenty on one, depending on the strength of the monster – to be sure of victory. The watch would no doubt mobilise as many men as possible in response to a monster threat, but they would almost certainly suffer significant casualties. The second reason was that, from the general atmosphere of the city, Mary was certain that the city watch would not leave any monsters alive. That was something she wanted to avoid at all costs. As long as she could meet the insects in person and talk to them, she should be able to work something out.

"Um, I don't that's going to work, Heinrich," Mary said. "It's unlikely that anyone else will believe us. For one thing, we're new to this city, and we also based our deductions on information from monsters. I think we should handle this by ourselves."

"What?" Heinrich said in disbelief. "I agree with your first point, but – there's no way you can handle a group of monsters on your own!"

"Don't worry about that," Mary said, waving her hand dismissively. "The insect monsters need to be as stealthy as possible, so their group won't be too large and they won't have any large monsters with them." For obvious reasons, she left out the fact that she could take them on even if this was not the case.

After some more coaxing and convincing, Mary managed to get Heinrich to accept her proposal. It probably didn't hurt that their first meeting had involved Mary singlehandedly defeating a group of human bandits, without receiving a scratch and without killing any of the bandits.

Eventually, after a few more minutes of quick discussion, they decided on a plan and set out.

-ooo-

Mary crouched down in a bush, making sure that all of her body was concealed in the leaves. She was outside the west wall of Grand Noah, near the tall trees that the insect monsters were expected to use to infiltrate the city. She had changed her clothing to a grey-and-brown ensemble that blended into the dark forest. She had also covered herself in dirt to cover up her own scent with that of the forest – an almost-literal case of "hiding a leaf within a forest", as it were.

Heinrich was up in a nearby watchtower that was part of the city wall. He was in a disused storage room, having been carried up there by Mary once night fell. With the caution shown by the insect monsters so far, they would definitely avoid the watchtower at all costs, so Heinrich would be in no danger from them. His task was to keep an eye on the proceedings from the room's tiny window and, if it looked like Mary was in danger, throw down a firecracker to attract attention. The firecracker was a toy that Mary had brought with her – a simple device filled with an explosive powder that detonated once the casing broke open. The explosion was too weak to injure a monster or seriously injure a human, but it would certainly alert the guards and force the insects to flee.

Of course, Mary didn't expect the situation to reach this point. However, Heinrich wouldn't agree to (what he perceived as) such a risky plan if she hadn't included this part.

So far, an hour had passed since nightfall. Mary guessed that the insect monsters were waiting for the city to fall asleep before they made their infiltration.

When two hours had passed, Mary began to get bored. Even though the situation was important, Mary's power meant that she didn't feel the tension that a human or weaker monster would have. And she didn't exactly have the world's longest attention span. This was the reason – well, one of the reasons why she had never done well in her studies.

Once the third hour was reached, they finally arrived.

The insect monsters weren't as good as the previously-met beasts at disguising their presence. Mary heard the faint sounds of their footsteps, and soon enough spotted their dark silhouettes as well. As they came closer, Mary saw that they were a mixture of different types, their only commonality being that they were slender in build – ideal for running across rooftops quietly.

The group seemed to be led by a Cricket Girl. She had long antennae emerging from her head, which would give her extremely acute senses of smell and hearing. She had two pairs of arms, one with human-like skin and extending from her shoulders, the other covered in chitin and positioned at the level of her abdomen. Her legs were long and powerful, allowing her to jump between the branches of trees or the roofs of buildings with ease. Finally, she had an insectoid abdomen positioned where the tailbone would be on a human, and which Mary knew was used for fat storage and reproduction.

As the insects approached, Mary waited and watched for any signs of them already noticing her. Once she was confident that they hadn't, she stood up in a dramatic fashion.

"Stop right there! You – " Mary stopped to brush off a leaf that had stuck to her face, then continued, "What do you think you're doing here?"

The insects came to a halt, shock clear on her faces. Mary was proud of herself for that. She had spent hours upon hours practicing in front of the mirror for such occasions. The Cricket Girl looked around warily, no doubt suspecting that more were waiting in hiding, before asking, "Who the hell are you?"

"Me? I'm just a perfectly ordinary human mage," Mary replied, lying through her teeth. "I've been hired by the city to investigate some recent disappearances. Rumour has it that monsters are responsible for them. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

From the way the insects hissed and shifted into combat stances, it was clear that Mary was right on the mark. With a single gesture of an arm, the Cricket Girl signalled one of her companions to attack. An Arachne – a type of insect with a tauric body plan, having a humanoid upper body and the lower body of a spider – immediately cast a black magic spell.

Mary calmly reviewed the situation as a spear of ice flew towards her. The choice of ice as the element reflected a desire for stealth; fire and lightning were more popular than ice when it came to black magic, but also far more conspicuous. The ice spear was aimed directly at Mary's heart, showing clear lethal intent on the part of the caster. The Arachne, being the mage of the group, was definitely the one responsible for putting the kidnapped men to sleep. Finally, her swift response showed that the insects had well-honed teamwork.

After finishing these thoughts, Mary swung her staff sideways, shattering the ice spear into a thousand glittering shards. Before the insects had time to react, she slammed the bottom of her staff on the ground. A wave of earth magic spread out and reduced the solidity of the soil so that it behaved like stereotypical quicksand. All of the insects sank down and became trapped. The Arachne could have still used magic to attack, but she was too shocked at the disruption of her spell to do anything.

While twirling her staff around, Mary said, "Alright, enough with the fighting. First of all, tell me this: why are you kidnapping human men from this city?"

"That's none of your business," snarled the Cricket Girl.

"Since I'm being paid by the city to stop these disappearances, I'm pretty sure that this _is_ literally my business," said Mary. "Anyway, I guess that's not important. My point is – "

The Cricket Girl flexed her legs and, with a roar of effort, leapt out of the softened soil. She rebounded off a tree branch and hurtled back down towards Mary at bone-breaking speed. The reckless assault was too fast for humans and most monsters to react to.

Of course, it didn't end like that. Mary pointed her staff upwards and cast a wind spell. The resulting gust not only robbed the Cricket Girl of all her momentum, but also caused her to float up momentarily before falling to the ground.

After getting to her feet, the Cricket Girl said, "What the hell was that power? What kind of monster are you!?"

Mary blinked and quickly answered, "No, you must be mistaken. I know I'm pretty powerful, but I'm just a human – "

"Stop playing around!" The Cricket Girl demanded. "No human is that powerful, or can sneak up on us like that. What are you!?"

While she was shaken by her façade being penetrated for the second time in twenty four hours, Mary forced herself to continue, "That doesn't matter, and please don't interrupt me again, okay? Now then, my point is that you need to stop doing this right now and return all of the men you've kidnapped. Do you have any idea of what your actions have done to the city? I haven't been here long, but I've seen mothers crying for their sons, wives for their husbands, sisters for their brothers and children for their mothers. I've seen countless men drinking themselves silly, trying to forget their fear that they might be next. I won't let you do this anymore."

There was silence, but only for a few moments. Then the mocking began. Some called Mary a naïve idiot or a fool, some asked why she thought they'd give up just from that, and some simply laughed.

On the outside, Mary seemed to endure the mockery without complaint. Inside, however, was a different story. It may have been the aggressive paranoia of the beast monsters, or the anti-monster sentiment within Grand Noah, or simple lack of sleep, or some combination of these. Whatever the cause, Mary had reached the end of her fuse.

Mary quietly gathered mana within her body. Once she was satisfied with the quantity, she channelled it down her arms and into her staff. The Arachne noticed the shift in mana, judging from the look of terror on her face, but she couldn't stop what happened next.

Mary raised her staff and used the tip, now glowing with pale blue light, to draw out a circle in the air. The circle of light pulsed and disappeared. In the very next instant, massive icicles appeared from thin air and surrounded the insects.

"Okay, that's enough," Mary declared, not bothering to keep the anger out of her voice. "I'm giving you exactly one option. You're going to release all of the men you already kidnapped, and you will never kidnap another one again. _Do you understand?_ "

None of the insects were laughing now. All of them trembled at the icicles, each of which outmassed their bodies.

The Cricket Girl nervously said, "It's – it's not that simple, we've already sent them to – "

Mary simply waved her staff, causing the icicles to move slightly and almost prick the insects' exoskeletons. She didn't say anything else. She didn't need to.

In short order, all of the insects frantically agreed to this command. Mary dismissed her magic and the insects ran off without looking back.

Once she was sure they were gone, Mary leaned against a tree and slumped to the ground. She closed her eyes, then let out a deep sigh as she thought about what just happened.

 _It's been a while since I've gotten this worked up. The last time would be back in the castle, I guess?_

 _Did I scare them_ too _much? Well, they're long gone by now, so I can't do anything about that._

Mary looked back towards the castle. There were no signs of any disturbance. Between the concealment of the forest canopy and the darkness of the night, the brief fight must have gone unnoticed.

 _How am I going to explain this to Heinrich?_


	7. Chapter 6: Interlude 1

_AN: Here's something different from usual, a chapter focusing on the perspectives of secondary characters. My goal with this is to flesh out the world a bit more._

* * *

 **Dinah**

"Hey, wake up, sleepyhead."

"Ughhh… just one… no, five more minutes."

"Come on, it's broad daylight already."

It took some more coaxing and her shoulders being shaken before Dinah finally opened her eyes. Yawning loudly, she slowly sat up and looked around.

Dinah was in her bedroom, a large room containing lavish but tastefully-decorated furniture. One example was the bed she was currently lying on. It was large enough for three humans or human-sized monsters to sleep on, with room to spare, with the mattress, blanket and pillows all made of fine silk. However, there was a distinct childish atmosphere to the room, thanks to the several rabbit dolls placed here and there.

"You could have let me be just a little longer, Milus," Dinah said accusingly to the man sitting beside her.

"Then you would have said 'Just a little longer' again and again, and wouldn't get up until noon," Milus replied. He flicked Dinah's forehead playfully. "Anyway, it's almost time for the morning court session. You need to get ready."

Still grumbling tiredly, Dinah forced herself to climb out of bed. She put on her usual dress, a task made more difficult by her four arms. Below her primary pair of arms, which were humanoid in shape, she had a secondary pair of insectoid arms. The left one was a deep purple colour and had the raptorial shape of a mantis' foreleg, while the right one resembled an enormous bright green caterpillar. Dinah could have retracted them into her body, but that required a level of concentration that she didn't have this early in the day.

Milus also got up and dressed himself. He had blue eyes and brown hair that most people described as "messy, but he makes it work". His handsome face and slender build made him popular among many of the monsters in the castle – monsters being fine with casual sex and polygyny as a rule, due to the rarity of male births among them. Ever since he came to the castle six months ago, Milus was one of Dinah's favourite partners.

"Do you have any idea of who's coming here today?" Dinah asked as she examined herself in the mirror, applying the final touches to her appearance. She combed her hair into a style suitable for being in public and tied on a black bow to the right side of her head.

"No clue, sorry," Milus replied as he picked up his paint and brushes. "I also have an appointment this morning."

"Let me guess, another nude painting?" Dinah asked. She reviewed the list of people in the castle who might be interested in Milus' services and made an educated guess. "Would it happen to be those succubus twins?"

"You know me so well," Milus confirmed with a smile.

"Ha! I'm sure you'll be examining their bodies very _thoroughly_ , won't you?" Dinah said, pretending to be jealous.

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm a _professional_ ," Milus said with faux-innocence. "I would _never_ do such a thing… before the job's complete."

The two of them laughed.

Dinah continued, "Anyway, good luck with your work."

"I'd say you're the one who needs good luck," Milus replied. "It must be difficult, with your sister gone." Milus, like most in the castle, didn't know about Mary travelling around the world, having been told a cover story of her merely travelling around Hellgondo.

"As if," Dinah said, rolling her eyes. "If anything, my job is easier with her not around to mess things up."

"That's not something you should say about…" Milus began, only to hesitate as he remembered some of the things Mary had done. He nevertheless continued, "…your sister. I'm sure that – "

"It's fine, you don't need to be diplomatic about this," Dinah said. "She's not here, and even if she was she wouldn't care about you saying that, at least not in front of her face. Anyway, just what was she thinking!? It's bad enough that she embarrasses the name of Monster Lord in front of everyone who comes to the castle, but she has to do that all over the country as well. And – "

This topic struck a nerve in Dinah and she continued complaining about Mary for several minutes. This was not an uncommon occurrence, so Milus simply sat back down and listened.

"…and you know what? A few years ago, I was actually _jealous_ of Mary for being prettier. Even without putting any real effort into taking care of her appearance, she was still at a level that I couldn't reach without a lot of hard work every day. I was actually worried that, with her looks, she might steal my boyfriends away from me." Dinah laughed. "Then she ended up not growing up – mentally, not physically – and turning off everyone who might be interested, so all my worries ended up being useless."

Once Dinah was finished, Milus said, "You really care a lot about your sister, don't you?"

Dinah froze, then quickly said, "What? Don't be ridiculous! Haven't you been listening to a word I've said?"

"I have, and the whole time, you've been worried about her," Milus said. "Just a minute ago, you mentioned that she might be tricked by someone because of her naivety. And before that, you said that she might get into a fight and lose because of her inexperience at fighting strong opponents. And if I think back, I can remember half a dozen more just this week – "

"That's – that's just wishful thinking," Dinah insisted. However, she wasn't able to meet Milus' eyes.

Deciding that she was ready, Dinah headed out of the room without looking back.

 _It's nothing like that at all,_ Dinah thought. _I was just – it's just that Mary's an idiot who could easily run into trouble, and I – and I…_

-ooo-

As she walked through the corridors, Dinah reviewed the current situation. Her mother was also outside the castle on a visit to the Nereneid family. It wasn't a task that Dinah envied – the one and only time that she had met someone from that family, just listening to them talk made Dinah want to vomit her own guts out. Anyway, that left Dinah to handle most of the duties normally handled by her mother: reading reports, meeting with ambassadors, and judging the disputes of the citizens.

As she approached the audience hall, Dinah could tell from the raised voices that she would be doing the third of these tasks. Judging from the volume and tone of said voices, it was entirely possible that their owners had already started fighting.

Dinah entered the audience hall. The servants, the courtiers and most of the others were huddled near the edges of the hall, keeping as much distance as possible from the pair arguing in the centre.

The larger of the pair was a Behemoth, the apex of beasts. She was so large that, despite being on all fours, Dinah was barely as tall as her shoulder. She had coal-black skin and red hair that merged into a line of fur along her back and tail. Her head was armed with a pair of wickedly-curved horns, capable of uprooting an entire tree or levelling a house with ease. She wore no clothing, leaving her body exposed for all to see and admire her strength.

The other one was smaller but no less fearsome. She was a Kirin, an advanced youkai who also possessed the blood of dragons in her veins. Her body was a strange mix of mammal and reptile, being covered with brown skin, silver fur and green scales. A pair of antlers, resembling a deer's, sat proudly atop her head. She also had a tail with a large tuft of golden fur on the end. She wore a red garment with gold trim and carried a spear that incorporated a drum, used for ceremonies.

The two legendary monsters were glaring at each other with intense anger. The Behemoth scratched the ground with her clawed feet, leaving deep gouges in the stone. The Kirin gripped her spear tightly while producing sparks of lightning from the tip.

As Dinah entered, the commotion subsided. One of the servants stepped forward and announced, "Her Royal Highness, Dinah Fateburn, is present." The two arguing monsters both noticed her presence and quickly shifted to a posture of cautious respect. After all, even with Dinah suppressing her aura, it was clear to all that she was the most powerful person in the room.

Once the usual greetings were over, Dinah asked, "Well then, what has brought you here today?"

The two monsters attempted to reply at the same time, resulting in an incoherent mess. They nearly started arguing again, only to quickly remember who they were in front of and quiet down. Eventually, the Behemoth spoke up:

"First, I'm the one who's in the right here. My territory is to the east of here, it was settled that I'm the owner ten years ago. Now, starting a couple months back, this bitch here decides to start shooting her sparks everywhere, spooking the animals and making it impossible for me to hunt!"

"Hold it," said the Kirin. "First, I was practicing my lightning magic. It is an art that requires actual skill, unlike bestial 'techniques' that only require instinct. Second, and more importantly, I made sure that I did not step foot in your territory at all."

"Is this true?" Dinah asked.

"Y – yeah," the Behemoth admitted, "but that's just a loophole! She's doing her practice right on the border, making a racket that you can hear for miles away!"

Dinah turned towards the Kirin, who looked slightly ashamed of herself.

"Well – that part is true," the Kirin admitted, "but the fact remains that I was acting well within my rights. Anyway, my affairs are more important than _hers_. My ability to control lightning is a power inherited from my ancestors, who fought on the frontlines of the Great Monster Wars. It is on an entirely different level from – "

"What, if you're going to ask me to kill you so nicely, then I'm not going to hold back!" the Behemoth roared.

Before the two could descend into a no-holds-barred brawl, Dinah silenced them again with a glare.

" _Settle down_ ," Dinah said. She then turned to the Kirin. "Now, as I understand the situation, you have remained outside of her territory, but the effects of your magic practice have nevertheless spilled over."

"Yeah, that's why I'm in the right here!" the Behemoth interjected.

"Do not interrupt me," Dinah said to the Behemoth, keeping a level tone. She turned back to the Kirin. "Let me ask you – did your ancestors believe in doing as they pleased, with no concern for the impact on others? Is that the legacy you have inherited?"

The Kirin cast her eyes down.

The Behemoth sneered. "That's right," she said. "That's why you should stop this light show right now. It's not like your sparks would be any good in a real fight, anyway."

Dinah turned towards the Behemoth and continued, "You're awfully quick to assume my intentions. To be clear, I will not be ordering the Kirin to cease her magic practice."

"But – but she – " the Behemoth began.

"Do you think that magic is worthless because you don't use it yourself?" Dinah asked. "In that case, I use a lot of magic myself. Do you believe that you'd stand a chance against me?"

Dinah didn't move her body or attempt to gather mana, but she didn't need to. Simply speaking these words caused the much larger Behemoth to recoil.

"It's good that you understand." Dinah then addressed both of them at once, "I believe that there is a compromise that will satisfy both of you. I won't pretend to be omniscient, so I'll defer to your knowledge on this situation." Dinah looked at the Kirin and asked, "First, is it possible for you to conduct your magic practice away from the Behemoth's territory? If not, are there any particular locations where you could minimise the impacts it has on the animals?"

The Kirin considered this carefully. "In our area, space is a relatively scarce commodity. If I were to try practicing elsewhere, I would risk disturb someone else. However… if I remember correctly, there _is_ a crater in the ground just on my side of the border, large enough for me to practice in. If I stayed at the bottom of that crater, then it should block at least some of the light and sound emitted by my lightning."

Dinah nodded. "That's a start," she said, then turned to the Behemoth. "In your case, I'd like to ask: does the Kirin's magic have the same effect on the animals throughout the day? For example, is there more of an effect during the night than during the day?"

"Come to think of it…" the Behemoth said thoughtfully, "You're right, it's not always the same all the time. They aren't as spooked when it happens during the day, since there's more noise in the background, and the light from the sparks is nothing compared to the sun."

"Good," Dinah said. "And also – "

The discussion continued for several minutes, during which the three of them worked out the details. By the end of it, they had an arrangement that should allow the Kirin to practice her magic with minimal impact on the Behemoth's hunting.

Once that case was over and done with, Dinah allowed herself to mentally breathe a sigh of relief. Trying to resolve people's issues in a way that at least satisfied everyone was much harder than most thought. It wasn't like Mary's imagination, in which the Monster Lord could make whatever ruling pleased her and expect her subjects to accept it unconditionally. Such a heavy-handed approach would only breed resentment. The people might accept the ruling on the surface, as they wouldn't dare to cross a monster so much more powerful than them, but in the shadows they would continue to do as they wanted. In the long term, this style of ruling would even lead to rebellion.

Dinah thought back on her mother's teachings. To truly settle the problems of others, it wasn't enough to use one's own faculties to come up with a solution and then tell them to accept it. Instead, a Monster Lord should work with the people concerned to arrive at the solution. This had many benefits. With the additional knowledge, the solution would be generally be better than any thought up by just one person. As they were also involved in the discussion, the people concerned would feel a greater sense of satisfaction at the result. And in the future, they would have greater ability and willingness to settle any further disputes themselves. After all, no one, including the Monster Lord, had infinite time on their hands, and it simply wasn't possible to handle everything personally.

The next set of people approached. Dinah shifted her mind from the past back into the present to focus on the new issue.

-ooo-

Finally, the day came to an end. Dinah returned to her room and slumped onto the bed, not caring if it wrinkled her dress. She'd been working practically non-stop, with only a ten minute break for lunch. If she tried going any further, she'd risk making a mistake somewhere. And when one was the (acting) Monster Lord, mistakes could be very costly.

A maid came over to deliver tea. Dinah sat up and took a sip. The tea was a high-quality blend, made from leaves imported from the eastern region of Yamatai, and simply drinking it relieved some of the tension in Dinah's body.

 _I have no idea how Mother keeps up this kind of workload every day,_ Dinah thought. _Perhaps that's one reason why she decided to visit the Nereneid family. Unpleasant as that might be, it's still a change of pace from the usual._

 _Mary not being around is a relief. Just thinking about how she might have messed things up makes me wish she could stay away forever._

Dinah paused before taking another sip of tea, then shook her head. It might not have been the most filial thing to say, but it was the cold hard truth. The feeling in her heart was simply accumulated exhaustion, and not anything like guilt.

 _But that comes with its own downsides… The countless ways she could end up ruining the name of Monster Lord to the entire world…Well, it's not like anyone would recognise her anyway. While her behaviour is… beyond description… her skill at taking on a human appearance is actually better than anyone else I know. No matter what she does, it won't reflect on us, her family._

 _…Come to think of it, what appearance did she end up choosing? Mother must have suggested something decent –_

Dinah scrutinised her memory. Although her memory was something she took pride in, she was unable to recall her mother explaining what Mary should look like. She'd explained in detail how Mary should _behave_ , but hadn't really touched on appearance.

 _I don't remember it at all, but – come on, it's the kind of thing that goes without saying. If you're trying to hide your identity, everyone knows that you need to start with changing your appearance. Sure, Mother didn't_ specifically _mention that, but that's only because it wasn't necessary, anyone with common sense –_

Dinah froze, remembering that "Mary" and "common sense" did not remotely belong in the same sentence.

 _Come to think of it, when I last saw her, she was wearing a different outfit, and – and her hair was done up, but – her face was the exact same as always. But surely she must have changed that afterwards…_

Dinah thought and considered and rationalised, but no matter what she came up with, the doubt lingered. She eventually decided to clear up the situation and called in the maid.

"Would you happen to know who saw my sister last?" Dinah asked the maid.

"Um, I believe it was Vivi, the Vouivre Girl," the maid replied.

"Then could you call her over?" Dinah asked.

In short order, the person in question arrived. Vouivre Girls were a rare kind of yoma who possessed the ability to use holy energy in addition to the dark energy inherent to monsters, and had an appearance to match. In the case of this particular one, the left side of her body resembled a succubus', with purple skin, hair and left eye, a horn, a bat wing, and a spaded tail. The right side resembled an angel's, with pale skin, blonde hair, a blue right eye, and a white feathered wing. Their unusual power and appearance had led to them being discriminated against in the past, being seen as monster-angel hybrids or angel spies, but that was no longer the case under the current regime.

When asked, Vivi confirmed, "Yes, I was among the last people to see your sister. It was out on the roof of the west tower. I gave her advice on how to fly long distances, and she took off."

"And did you notice anything unusual about her?" Dinah asked, trying to avoid sounding suspicious.

"Well, she was wearing different clothing and had a different hairstyle, but aside from that, she seemed the same as always," Vivi replied.

"I see. Well, I was just concerned about whether or not she was again doing something that might be detrimental to the family name. That will be all."

Once she was alone again, Dinah dropped her façade of calmness. She tore at her hair, then grabbed her pillow and screamed into it.

 _Of all the idiotic, stupid, elementary mistakes to make –_

 _SHE'S GOING AROUND WITH HER ACTUAL FACE!?_

 **Gaius**

The two men grunted as they clashed with wooden staves. Both wore leather training armour, but that didn't prevent the pain from getting hit.

Gaius breathed heavily in an attempt to keep his body going. He wasn't as young as he used to be, and several minutes of sparring had taken its toll on his old bones.

As one of the senior members of Grand Noah's city watch, Gaius had a number of duties. Passing on his skills to the next generation of recruits was one of them.

That said, the one Gaius was sparring against right now barely seemed to need any help. His name was Marius, and he'd only been in the watch for a couple of months, yet his fighting skills were definitely above average. He didn't simply rely on brute force – although parrying his strikes sent a shock through Gaius' entire body – but employed complex movements that made it difficult to read and counter him. From the way he fought, it was clear that Marius had honed his skills in actual combat.

And just as Gaius had been studying him, Marius had also been studying his opponent as they traded blows. And it was clear that the younger man was now confident in his victory. He'd stopped holding back to get the measure of his opponent and was now fighting aggressively, aiming to bring his opponent down. He pressed forward, slowly but surely forcing Gaius back.

However, Gaius wasn't going to give up that easily. As a member of the watch, he'd fought opponents as diverse as street thugs, professional assassins, and even monsters. He'd used half a dozen different weapons in his time on the job, and familiarised himself with each and every one of them. If this newcomer expected to win, then Gaius was going to have to disappoint him.

Gaius pretended to be losing. He allowed the pain to show on his face whenever he blocked an attack, and gradually increased the intensity of his breaths. Eventually, Marius was baited into going for a reckless attack that would end the battle if it succeeded. Gaius didn't let that opportunity go – with a carefully-aimed strike, he hit Marius' wrist and forced him to drop his staff.

Most would have given up there and then. But Marius didn't. With a quick thinking born of experience, he stepped forward and grabbed Gaius' staff. With a roar of furious effort, he managed to yank it out of Gaius' hands.

"Not bad, sir, but – " Marius began.

Gaius drew a dagger from his belt and thrust it at Marius' stomach. The dagger, like the other training weapons, was blunt and didn't penetrate the leather, but it still inflicted a painful blow. Marius crumpled to the ground.

"You must never let down your guard, even when it seems that you've won," Gaius advised, as he leaned down and helped Marius back to his feet. "I trust that you have no complaints over how I won?"

"Definitely not, sir," Marius answered, still wincing in pain. "There's no rules in a real fight, after all."

Gaius parted with the younger man after giving a few more points of advice. He headed over to the side of the practice area and slowly took off his armour. Now that he was no longer filled with adrenaline, he winced at the pain in his muscles. He _definitely_ wasn't as young as he used to be. He wouldn't be able to exert himself nearly as much soon, so he needed to consider the future.

While he took a long drink and relaxed on a bench, Gaius thought about who could potentially replace him. There were two candidates, Carn and Bill. They had similar levels of experience and skill in all the duties of a watchman. No, on second thought, that wasn't correct. While they were indeed equal in skill, Carn had been blessed with talent and thus had difficulty teaching others. Gaius thus decided to make Bill his choice of successor.

After settling that issue, Gaius stood up and headed out into the street. Training was the last activity of the day, so now was the time for him to relax and unwind.

Gaius walked along at a leisurely pace. Even though he was off-duty, his senses as a watchman were still active, allowing him to discern the atmosphere of the city even without paying attention to any person in particular.

Before, there had always been an undercurrent of tension in the air, as people feared that they might disappear or that a loved one might disappear. They'd try to go about business as usual, and visit the arena in an attempt to raise their spirits, but as night approached they would head home earlier and nervously bar their doors. Back then, the city watch had been working at full capacity, with even the older members like Gaius being sent out on duty.

Now, it was clear that the people of Grand Noah were happy and at peace. It had been just over a month since the last disappearance, and no more monsters had been sighted during that time. Everyone was beginning to think that the disappearances were over. Well, almost everyone. The more paranoid, Gaius among them, still maintained a degree of alertness.

Gaius was heading towards the Delectable Boar, an inn that served decent drinks at reasonable prices. It was a favoured drinking spot for him and his colleagues, though they hadn't had much time for that while the disappearances were being investigated. That said, Gaius' liver had seen better days, so it would mainly be the younger watchmen doing the drinking. He smiled ruefully at that – in his own youth, he hadn't been nearly as restrained.

On his way to the inn, Gaius noticed a statue of the Goddess Ilias. Though it was one of several around the city, a great deal of effort had clearly gone into its creation. It was made of finely-carved marble and painted in bright colours in an attempt to reproduce the divine beauty of the Goddess. Gaius thought it succeeded quite well on that front. The statue had her sky-blue eyes, her ankle-length golden hair, her pure white robe, her golden ornaments, and her white feathered wings that resembled a dove's or a swan's. It was posed in the traditional manner, with one hand to its breast and the other behind its back.

Gaius paused to offer a prayer in front of the statue. During the almost forty years he'd spent in this job, and the fifteen he'd lived before that, this was something he never forgot to do. He thanked Ilias for seemingly stopping the disappearances, and asked her to continue protecting Grand Noah in the future.

As he continued onwards, Gaius thought about the situation. Many of his colleagues, especially the younger ones, were certain that the monsters that had been lurking around Grand Noah were responsible for kidnapping the missing men. The fact that they hadn't been seen this past month, and no further disappearances had occurred, seemed to corroborate this. However, Gaius wasn't quite so sure. He had been part of an expedition investigating the vicinity of Grand Noah, where they had found the distinctive tracks of beast monsters. From what Gaius knew, beasts didn't have the necessary abilities to pull off such kidnappings. However, with no further evidence, there was no way to be certain of the truth.

Finally, Gaius arrived at the Delectable Boar. He walked in to find that half a dozen of his colleagues were already seated and well into the partying mood. Gaius found an empty stool and joined in.

" – and just when he raised his knife, ready to attack, his pants fell down! It turned out that, earlier in the fight, he'd accidentally nicked his own belt with his knife! Everyone there, even his own friends, just froze when this happened. Then he ran away, almost tripping over his own pants!"

The bar was filled with uproarious laughter. There was one man who actually fell to the floor yet continued laughing.

When things calmed down slightly, the speaker of the story continued, "Well, can anyone top that? If you can, it's another round of drinks on me!"

There was cheering at this, then a moment of relative quiet as everyone tried to think of a story that would top the previous one. Eventually, Gaius decided to speak up.

"I've got an interesting story, though I'm afraid I won't be able to join in the drinking," Gaius said. "About a month ago, I was out on guard duty for one of the houses from which a man had disappeared. It was initially business as usual – we kept an eye out and turned away anyone who tried to get close – but then something unexpected happened. I spotted a blonde woman in a black mage's outfit, walking as if she were about to trip over at any moment. When she got close, she said – and I remember this very clearly because of how strange it was – 'Hi there! It's a nice day today, isn't it? What are two handsome fellows like you doing just standing around?'"

There was silence, then the bar was filled with laughter again. There were shouts of "As if!" and "Like that would happen!"

"If you don't believe me, you can ask David, he was there as well," Gaius said, not minding the good-natured mockery. "Anyway, the two of us were dumbfounded at what she was doing. After all, our manuals tell us to expect people trying to seduce us and how to deal with them, but they don't have anything about attempts this obvious. I told her the usual line, and then – well, it's hard to describe what happened next. She started thinking and then started blushing and shaking her head. Finally, she ran away without another word. It was so strange that I had to ask David if he had seen the same thing, and he did."

The audience was just as confused and started discussing this event among themselves. One of them asked Gaius, "Do you have any idea now what was going on?"

"Well, I've been thinking about it since then, and came up with one possibility," Gaius replied. "That woman didn't show any signs of doing heavy labour on her skin or in her posture. Combined with her innocent way she acted, I came to the conclusion that she was a noble of some sort. Like in the stories, she had decided to look at how the lower classes live and disguised herself."

 **Marcus**

Marcus looted the small house, but didn't find much. There hadn't been a lot in the house to begin with, and when it was clear that the defence was losing, the owners had started deliberately destroying their belongings to deny them to anyone else. The bandit leader still managed to find a bit of food, some clothes and some tools, so it wasn't a complete waste of time.

Once he was satisfied that he'd found everything, Marcus walked out of the house. He looked around. His colleagues were busy with similar work: breaking into and looting houses, finishing off any defenders who had yet to die, and dragging away women and girls.

One of the other bandits spotted Marcus and called out, "Hey, boss! Found anything good?"

"Nah, just another disappointment," Marcus replied, holding up the small bag containing his loot. "It looks like you were more fortunate."

"Yeah, I can't believe how lucky I was!" the other bandit said, holding up a bloody sword in his right hand. "The house I got had this kid swinging around this sword, must have been a family heirloom or something. Anyway, I took him out and got a new sword! It's a lot better than my old one, it actually has an edge worth talking about!"

Marcus chuckled. "Well, just make sure you keep it clean and sharpened so it stays like that."

Marcus parted with the man and then headed towards the former village chief's house. It wasn't big enough to house all of the bandits, and Marcus wasn't the type to indulge in luxuries that he denied to his men. Instead, it was being used to keep any of the women that they found.

Opening the door with a bang, Marcus strolled into the house. He saw a dozen or so women chained up. There were more in the village, even after the bandits had killed those too old, young or ugly for their tastes, but Marcus' men were taking their time bringing them here.

As he looked around, Marcus spotted one of the women who wasn't like the others. Though she pretended to be scared, she couldn't quite stop the glimmer of defiance from slipping out. And the way she sat, she was clearly trying to hide the chains from Marcus' view. The bandit leader walked towards her, maintaining a casual demeanour. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the fear of the other women intensified as he approached his target. When he was within reach, the woman leapt up and thrust a tiny knife at Marcus' stomach. But her attack never truly had the advantage of surprise, and Marcus calmly dodged the knife and grabbed the woman's arms.

"Not bad, but not enough," Marcus said, with some genuine admiration in his voice. He looked at the chain and saw the deep scratches, which must have taken hours of effort to make with such a small knife. Then he kicked the woman in the stomach, causing her to double over and vomit. "To be clear, I'm not a cruel man. As a reward for your bravery, I'll leave it at that. But there won't be a third chance," Marcus finished, speaking to all of the women with his last sentence.

Marcus left the hut, idly toying with the knife in his hands. While walking through the streets of the ransacked village, he let his thoughts drift to the past.

After they had been beaten up by that crazy yet powerful black mage, Marcus' gang had been terrified for two days. However, after consuming all of their remaining food, the irresistible force of hunger began to overpower their fear. They discussed the issue at length and, because they had no other skills and would hardly be accepted by legitimate society even if they did, returned to their life of crime.

At first, they had taken a cautious approach. When they mugged travellers for their belongings, they made sure to leave them enough to survive to the next human settlement, and kept injuries to a minimum. However, as time passed and their crimes were never punished, their caution disappeared. Their previous fear slowly changed into defiance, with the bandits growing even more aggressive and vicious than they had been before the incident. They now never left a victim alive, and had worked up the will to attack an entire village.

Marcus had expected more resistance, but the defenders had consisted of untrained villagers wielding mostly farm tools and other improvised weapons. Marcus had personally cut down five without taking a scratch in return, and none of his men were seriously injured. It seemed that the rumours were true: the recent unrest in the Noah region had caused a concentration of soldiers in Grand Noah and the major towns, leaving small villages like this unprotected.

Indeed, Marcus wished that he had done this sooner. There was more food here than the gang had ever obtained from robbing small groups of travellers, there were actual beds for them to sleep on, and there was plenty of pleasurable company for the night. Marcus almost worried that his men might get too used to the comfort and be unwilling to move on. Sadly, they'd have to leave the village at some point. On top of the food eventually running out, news of the village being taken over by bandits would eventually result in a military force being sent, one that the gang would stand no chance against. They'd have to kill the women as well, as they would slow them down if they tried taking them with them. That was a pity, but Marcus wasn't going to get too distressed by this.

Marcus' thoughts returned to the topic of the strange mage again. _Seriously, what was her deal? Magical power on that level, combined with the athletic ability that let her catch an arrow and beat all of us at once. What is someone like doing out in the middle of nowhere, instead of leading an army or guarding a king? And she looked young as well… probably no more than her twenties. Gaining that kind of power and skill takes decades, yet she looked like a princess who just got made up by her maids._

Suddenly, Marcus froze. His years of experience as a soldier, coupled with experience fighting against all kinds of enemies as a bandit, led to a series of connections being made in his mind.

 _Wait… that power, that young age, and her weird behaviour and dress sense, like someone who didn't know anything about society – about_ human _society – could she be a monster? And to be that powerful, both physically and magically, even in human form – she'd have to be at least Queen-class!_

It seemed that fate had a sense of irony, for just as Marcus came to that conclusion, he heard screams. The screams weren't those of the women and girls being raped by the bandits. They were the screams of the bandits themselves, in reaction to something that terrified even them.

Marcus remained still for a split second, then jumped into action. He sprinted towards the source of the screams, sword drawn, and met up with two of his men. They had fallen to the ground in fear and were feebly crawling away from the new threat.

A group of insect monsters, numbering thirteen in total. Marcus' eyes quickly scanned the group: a Cricket Girl who seemed to be the leader, three Carabid Girls, two Mirid Girls, four Roach Girls, two Springtail Girls and an Arachne. Marcus clicked his tongue at the last of these. While most insects were poor at magic, Arachnes were the exception. The spider monsters were particularly good at black magic and time magic, and with one present, the collective strength of the insect group increased tremendously.

Marcus' gang numbered twenty seven, including himself – but a two to one advantage wasn't remotely enough against monsters.

The monsters chattered excitedly as they approached, showing no signs of fear at the destruction in the village or the fact that they were outnumbered. The look in their eyes was uncomfortably familiar to Marcus.

"What do you want!?" Marcus demanded. Although he tried to sound as brave as he could, he couldn't keep the trace of hesitation out of his voice.

"I don't think there's a need to answer that, is there?" the Cricket Girl answered. "Everyone here knows the answer. And it looks like we've found quite the prize." The other monsters snickered at this.

Marcus gritted his teeth. All of his training and experience told him that the situation was hopeless, that there was no way for him to possibly win. It might have been possible if they had a properly-fortified base, but this was a small village with no defensive structures – that was why the bandits had such ease conquering it in the first place.

However, he absolutely refused to give up. If he was the type to do that, he would never have crawled away from the battlefield and gone on to become a bandit leader. And although he was hardly a good worshipper of Ilias, with all that he had done, he still wasn't about to let himself fall to monsters.

Gripping his sword, Marcus shouted out with all his strength, "Men! Are you going to cry and run away like little girls? Is that how I've trained you lot?"

The rest of the bandits had now gathered. Though they were clearly terrified, they still held onto their weapons with their shaking hands. The two from before had now stood up and, alongside Marcus, faced the monsters.

"I didn't think so! If we're gonna die, then we'll do it on our own terms! So show 'em what we've got!"

With a roar, Marcus led his bandits in a reckless charge towards the insect monsters. It wasn't the best tactical decision, but when Marcus and his group were all half-frozen with fear, it was the best they could manage. The monsters had laughed while Marcus gave his little speech, but now they attacked as well.

There was a blur of motion, too fast for human eyes to see. With reflexes born of countless hard-won battles, Marcus twisted his body to the sword and slashed at the pouncing monster. Marcus was thrown to the ground by the sheer force, which rivalled a charging bull. He looked up to see that the Cricket Girl was the one who'd attacked him.

The Cricket Girl looked down at Marcus, and at the tiny nick that Marcus' sword had left on the exoskeleton of her torso. "Not bad," she said, "but not nearly enough."

Marcus attacked, aiming at the monster's neck. The exoskeleton of an insect monster was as tough as steel plate, capable of turning aside any blade or arrow, but it couldn't avoid having weak points at the joints and neck. And while a Cricket Girl's powerful legs gave her fearsome jumping ability, they didn't have the same flexibility as human legs and so she would have trouble dodging –

The Cricket Girl grabbed Marcus' sword with one hand. She delivered a powerful blow to Marcus' stomach with her other hand. Marcus collapsed.

"For a human, you're a decent fighter," the Cricket Girl said, stepping on Marcus with one foot. "I think I'll take you as – "

However, Marcus still didn't give up. He drew a dagger from his belt and slashed at the Cricket Girl's relatively-unprotected foot. He managed to draw blood and, for an instant, was surprised that the blood was red instead of green or another inhuman colour.

The Cricket Girl cursed and staggered away. She then kicked Marcus with her other foot, sending him flying into the air.

Marcus screamed in agony as he fell back to the ground, aggravating his already-broken ribs. He unsteadily looked around.

The battle – if it could even be called that – was over. Marcus' men had all been defeated and disarmed, and were now being tied up by the Arachne's webbing. The monsters, on the other hand, had no deaths or serious injuries among them.

A shadow fell over Marcus. He struggled to turn his head to look at the source, only for a foot to stomp painfully onto his neck.

"It's over."


	8. Chapter 7: Confrontation

Heinrich circled around his opponent, looking for an opening, wary of a counterattack.

He had improved a lot since he had first started out on this journey with Alicetroemeria. Heinrich could now attack numerous times in quick succession, each movement flowing smoothly into the next, though he still had yet to land a hit. While Alicetroemeria had been barehanded in their previous training sessions, she had now started using her staff to block his attacks and occasionally strike back as well. Heinrich could keep standing after receiving most of her hits, and get back to his feet quickly even if he was knocked down.

Eventually, Heinrich decided on a course of action. He stepped forward and moved as though he was going to attack from the left. Then he immediately changed direction and attacked from the right instead, swinging his tree branch as fast as possible.

But, like all of the previous attacks, it failed. Even though she was casually holding her staff lightly in one hand, Alicetroemeria still managed to use it to block Heinrich's attack and then pushed him back. Heinrich staggered back several steps, but managed to regain his balance.

"That wasn't bad, but you still have room to improve," Alicetroemeria said. "If you wait around like that, even I can tell that you must be planning some kind of trick. You need to think faster, almost by instinct, and strike. Try again!"

Heinrich was tempted to keep going, but he stopped when he realised how much his body was sore and weighted down by exhaustion. He was the kind of person who was aware of his limits and knew not to overdo it in training. Back in the village, training to the point of injury or total exhaustion would have made it nearly impossible for him to return to the village or work in his job. Out on the road, excessive training would decrease Heinrich's pace and, while Alicetroemeria wouldn't mind, he would never forgive himself for slowing the two of them down. He therefore said, "Thanks, but I think that's enough for today."

"Hmm… well, alright then," Alicetroemeria said.

Heinrich sat down and took a long drink of water. While letting his body rest, he thought about their recent adventures.

After leaving Grand Noah, the two of them had headed towards the east. They made several stops, during which Heinrich saw all kinds of things that he had never even imagined before.

There was a massive herd – group, of centaurs, on a migration to a new home. The sight of over a hundred of the horse-bodied beast monsters galloping across the plains was a truly awe-inspiring sight. The centaurs had spoken with the pair of humans in a friendly manner. They claimed to have come from the Natalia region to the south, where humans and monsters lived in harmony.

There was the Minotaur Tower, an immense pillar of stone that seemed to touch the clouds. Its inhabitants, beast monsters with the horns, tails and legs of cattle, were a rough but friendly lot. They engaged in regular duels that bore a surprising resemblance to the arena matches of Grand Noah.

There was a lake filled with amphibious monsters like Frog Girls and Salamander Girls. This was something that made Heinrich blush just thinking about it. The locals didn't wear any clothes, as this would be a hindrance in the water, showing off their wet and naked bodies without a hint of shame. And many of them had made overtures towards Heinrich, which he had turned down. He was growing to accept monsters, but not quite to _that_ extent.

The sheer number and diversity of monsters had been astounding to Heinrich. He'd always thought of monsters as something rare and unusual, skulking in the shadows of the world and avoiding humanity until it was their time to strike. But now he had seen, with his own eyes, that they lived together in communities and in the same sunlit world as did humans. It had been a confronting experience, to say the least.

Then there was the way in which monsters interacted with humans. According to the monster groups they had met so far, the Noah region was unusual in that, compared to the other three regions of the Sentora continent, its local human population held steadfast to the anti-monster principles of the Goddess Ilias. Monsters thus kept their distance from humans. The authorities of the humans, the nobles and military commanders, were aware of the major monster settlements but did not attack them. In this case, pragmatism won over faith, as a war between humans and monsters would undoubtedly result in massive casualties even for the winning side.

Of course, the monsters still needed human men in order to have offspring. Indeed, each of the monster communities that they had met included one or more men among them. To fulfil this requirement, they took in boys running from their homes, orphans left by war or plagues, men wounded and abandoned on battlefields. These became a part of their new community and learned to accept monsters. While they could never find enough men to have one for each of their own, monsters didn't consider this a problem. After all, one man could impregnate many monsters.

This line of thought caused certain images to enter Heinrich's mind. Images of amphibian monsters, their bodies glistening in the sun, approaching him from all sides. They extended long tongues and seductively licked his face, used their webbed hands to pull off his clothes, then pressed their slimy bodies on his and –

 _Arghhh! That's – that's sinful – think of something else!_ Heinrich screamed internally.

A figure with golden blonde hair, mischievous red eyes and a sinfully-voluptuous figure approached Heinrich. With a playful smile on her lips, she stripped off her dress, showing off her devilishly-attractive body, and –

Heinrich slapped himself several times in an attempt to use pain as a distraction. It wasn't entirely successful, as the perverted images lingered in the corners of his mind. He hadn't had these kinds of thoughts for years.

 _At least it makes more sense for me to be attracted to another human – no, I can't think of her that way, I mustn't! It'll make everything awkward from now on!_

Heinrich quickly changed his mind's track to their next destination. At Alicetroemeria's suggestion, they were now heading towards the village of Yamatai, which was separated from the rest of the Noah region by a mountain range and thus had its own independent culture. Heinrich had heard the name only once before, during a conversation he'd overheard in the bar of Finoa. One passing traveller had described it as a place of demon worshippers, a second disagreed with this, and things had escalated into a brawl.

Alicetroemeria had said that it was the only place in the Noah region where humans and monster lived together in large numbers. She claimed that she was bringing Heinrich there to see this example of coexistence with his own eyes. Of course, judging by the way she muttered the names of what sounded like types of Yamatai cuisine during her sleep, she had her own ulterior motive for this choice.

They had dinner: a flock of colourful birds that Alicetroemeria had brought down with wind magic, roasted in wild herbs. Afterwards, Alicetroemeria decided to go to sleep early while Heinrich picked up a hunk of dead wood and began to carve it with a knife.

It was a hobby that he had started engaging in recently, to while away the many hours in the wilderness. His skill was still very much unrefined – he'd even managed to cut himself by accident several times. He was currently focused on carving out simple shapes, like cylinders and cubes, rather than trying for anything more difficult like figurines of people.

As he scraped away splinters from the wood, Heinrich thought of another event in the past. He thought of the tense night where Alicetroemeria had gone out alone to face an entire group of insect monsters, then come back and cheerfully claimed that the problem was solved. Her victory had been surprising, but not that much, as Heinrich was now very familiar with just how powerful the strange mage was. The fact that she was right in front of him, not a scratch to be seen on her skin or clothing, had supported her assertion.

But Heinrich hadn't lived a life comfortable enough for him to just accept that. He couldn't get rid of the lingering feeling of doubt in his mind. He remembered an incident in the orphanage where the caretakers had claimed to have stopped the recent bullying, when they had merely ensured that the bullies would act more discreetly and be even harsher towards their victims. No one – including, to Heinrich's shame, himself – had dared to speak about this.

One part of Heinrich said that he was being too cynical. Alicetroemeria had a power that could only be described as overwhelming, a kind of power only possessed by heroes in the old legends. It wouldn't be surprising for her to do things impossible for most…

Heinrich wrestled with the issue for a while. He eventually decided that he'd bring it up tomorrow, when they were both well-rested and better able to discuss a difficult topic like this.

But, Heinrich reminded himself, this wasn't the first time he'd put the issue off to the next day.

-ooo-

The next morning, they continued on their journey, passing into a forest. The canopy was thick and let little light reach the ground, though this also meant that there was little understorey to obstruct their path. Even with the shade, the heat of the summer sun was intense and Heinrich was sweating in his clothes.

In the end, Heinrich didn't manage to bring up the difficult topic of what had happened to the bandits and insect monsters. He'd thought of doing so, but the sight of Alicetroemeria's cheerful face and her infectious enthusiasm for the adventure ahead made him reluctant to ruin her day.

Heinrich hated himself for that. This journey was supposed to be an opportunity for him to grow and change. Yet, at heart, he was still the same withdrawn person as always. He couldn't even talk to his – his travelling companion about an important issue that concerned them both.

Heinrich clenched his fist tightly enough to draw blood. _I have to tell her tonight,_ he thought.

After deciding that, Heinrich turned his attention to his surroundings. He had gained a lot of experience over the past month and a half, travelling through all kinds of environments. His eyes were watchful for any slight movement or shadow, allowing him to spot even the small and cryptic animals of the forest. There wasn't a lot that evaded his gaze nowadays…

…but of course, there were senses other than sight.

Alicetroemeria suddenly paused and sniffed the air. She looked at a spot towards the right, and Heinrich followed her gaze.

There was a large mound which was partly covered in soil and leaf litter. Underneath this covering, there was a faint glint of something reflective. As he and Alicetroemeria approached, Heinrich could see that it was a single long object, coiled into the shape of a mound.

Alicetroemeria cleared her throat and said politely, "Um, excuse me, can I talk to you for a second?"

The mound stirred and slowly unravelled. Heinrich initially thought it was an enormous snake, but then he saw the countless insectoid legs. As the long body straightened, Heinrich saw that it was at the very least ten metres long. From the rounded body and two pairs of legs on each segment, he recognised it as a millipede, having encountered many of the insects crawling around in the leaf litter back home. However, instead of a millipede head, the front end of the creature ended in the upper torso of a very much naked woman – Heinrich kept his eyes strictly on her face, not allowing them to drift downwards. She had dull black hair and arms covered in chitin, and was using the latter to sleepily rub her eyes.

The millipede monster – Millipede Girl, if Heinrich was right about monster naming sense – slowly looked at the two of them, waving the two antennae on her head. She said, "Time to wake up… Ah, how can I help you…?"

"Hi, sorry to disturb you, but we're heading to Yamatai right now. Do you know anything about the way there?" Alicetroemeria asked.

"Yamatai, hmm…" the Millipede Girl said ponderously. She reached down to the ground and scooped up a handful of leaf litter, then put it in her mouth and started chewing. For a moment Heinrich wondered if she'd forgotten the question, but she eventually replied, "At a human pace… Yamatai would be two days from here, or maybe three… there's one human village between here and there, you'll get to it in less than an hour…"

"Thank you," Alicetroemeria said. "And again, sorry for disturbing you."

"No, don't worry... I needed to wake up sometime today, anyway…" the Millipede Girl said, yawning. She looked between the two of them and, without changing her expression, continued, "It must be nice to have a mate… maybe I should find one too…"

Heinrich blushed while Alicetroemeria giggled and said that they were just travelling companions. They then moved on, leaving the Millipede Girl to enjoy her meal of dead leaves.

After that brief conversation, the two of them discussed what they were going to do in the village. Heinrich pointed out that they would need to stock up on supplies, something that Alicetroemeria paid little attention to and which had caused them to run out a couple of times before. Alicetroemeria wondered if she could put on a show with her magic to entertain the villagers.

While they were having these carefree thoughts, the wind picked up and blew towards them, carrying the unmistakeable stench of rotting flesh.

They both froze. In the next instant, they started running. The stench intensified as they approached its source, and soon it became clear that it wasn't from just one or two bodies.

After several minutes of running, they burst out of the forest and beheld the ruined village.

It was a stomach-churning sight. The bodies of humans and animals, hundreds of them, were strewn everywhere. They were in advanced stages of decay, with swarms of flies buzzing around. In spite of the decay, it was clear that all of the humans had died to violence. The horrific wounds were obvious – massive gashes, broken limbs, even a few decapitated heads.

There wasn't a living soul to be seen, and no person want to stay in such a gruesome place. However, Heinrich and Alicetroemeria, without exchanging a word, started walking around the village on unsteady feet, calling out for any survivors. It was a reaction of pure instinct, without any logical reason behind it.

The insides of the buildings were even worse, as the stench had few outlets and thus had accumulated to truly hellish levels. In one house, they found the body of a child, no more than eight or nine years old, being gnawed on by over fifty cockroaches. In the largest house, they found the bodies of eight women, chained to the walls and with their necks snapped.

After an hour of fruitless searching, they stopped in the centre of the village. Heinrich had been restraining himself, but now he doubled over and vomited. Alicetroemeria slumped against a wall, unmoving.

They might have spent five, ten, or twenty minutes there, unable to act. Eventually, they started moving again, now focused on trying to find out the cause of the slaughter and destruction.

It wasn't a difficult task. There were footprints everywhere. Most of these were left by men with boots, at least twenty of them judging from the sheer number that were scattered all over the village. The others were mainly concentrated at one edge of the village and were very obviously inhuman. Heinrich quickly realised that the latter kind were left by monsters. He knew that Alicetroemeria must have realised as well, but she didn't say anything. She simply stared unblinkingly at the ground.

There were metal tools scattered everywhere. Those near or grasped in the hands of the dead villagers were farming tools and the like, suggesting that they had been used by the villagers in an ultimately failed attempt at defence. The others were proper weapons – spears, axes, daggers – but these were generally a fair distance away from any bodies.

Among the weapons was a sword that stood out from the rest. It was an arming sword, a sword intended to be used with one hand. It wasn't particularly large, nor did it have any unnecessary decorations – just looking at it gave Heinrich the impression of something designed solely for killing.

Exposure to the elements had left a few spots of rust on the sword, but Heinrich still recognised it. There was no way he'd ever forget that particular sword. Not when it had been swung right in front of his eyes.

Heinrich hesitated. It was a terrible truth, one that tore at his heart with jagged hooks, but it had to be said.

"Alicetroemeria… I remember that sword. It was Marcus'… that bandit leader's sword."

Alicetroemeria didn't respond for several seconds. She eventually gave a wordless nod, then gestured towards the inhuman tracks and said. "These are the footprints of insect monsters, and not just any ones. Carabid Girls, Springtail Girls, Mirid Girls, Roach Girls, an Arachne… and a Cricket Girl."

Heinrich recognised these names as well, for Alicetroemeria had told him a month ago. Even if he hadn't, the flat tone in Alicetroemeria's voice would have confirmed his suspicions.

He gulped. There was no easy way to say it… but it had to be said nonetheless, no matter how painful it was.

 _This is my fault… If I hadn't kept it inside all this time, this – all this – would never have happened._

But before Heinrich could speak up, Alicetroemeria pre-empted him. She laughed, a harsh and bitter sound that managed to make the atmosphere even worse.

"It's the human bandits and insect kidnappers from before. The ones I beat up – and then let go with a warning."

Still laughing, she put her hand on a nearby wall as if to steady herself. Then she stopped laughing, and buried her fist in the wall with a loud crack.

"How – How could this happen - !?" she wailed. "Why – I – I was just – "

The situation left no room for Heinrich's usual awkwardness. Doing the first thing that came to mind, he walked over and hugged Alicetroemeria from behind.

"I… didn't mean for…"

-ooo-

Heinrich led Alicetroemeria outside of the village to a nearby hill. It wasn't a perfect solution, as they could still see the devastation wrought upon the village, but at least every breath didn't contain the stench of blood and rot.

The two remained silent for a while. No parent or teacher could ever prepare someone for a situation like this.

Heinrich was the first to speak. He told Alicetroemeria about the suspicions that he'd been nursing for a while but never revealed.

Once he was done, Alicetroemeria started laughing weakly. She said, "You know, I've actually known for a while that you wanted to tell me something. I thought that you – well, it doesn't matter now. I thought it would be better – for you to say it when you were ready."

Heinrich wasn't sure whether to laugh as well, to share in the twisted irony of the situation, or to refrain from laughing, as it might be interpreted as laughing at her.

Alicetroemeria wiped away the traces of tears from her face and continued, "Okay… enough crying. I admit it, I made a horrible mistake. Now it's my duty to fix this."

She remained still for a few moments, thinking, then stood up with resolution in her eyes. She took out her magic cabinet and rummaged around in it. She eventually pulled out a piece of what looked like old leather. Heinrich recognised this as well.

"This is the piece of insect monster exoskeleton I found in Grand Noah," Alicetroemeria said. "I held on to it by chance, but if I remember correctly, there's one more way to use it."

She continued searching the cabinet, unceremoniously tossing out anything in the way. She emerged with an old book with a drawing of a magic circle on the cover. She checked the table of contents and then flipped to the desired page. With more focus than Heinrich had ever seen her display in their short time together, she read the text, seemingly devouring the words with her eyes. She muttered the words as she read, so quickly that Heinrich couldn't make out the syllables.

Once she was satisfied, Alicetroemeria closed the book and said to Heinrich, "I've got it. It's an old type of tracking magic, one that uses a piece of the target to find their direction. If I were trying to track a human, for example, I could use a hair or a fingernail for this."

She knelt down and rapidly started drawing a large magic circle in the earth. It was dizzyingly complex, an array of lines and circles and spirals that made Heinrich feel slightly nauseous looking at them. It took several minutes to complete. She finished by placing the exoskeleton piece in the centre.

"That part's done… now for the next part," Alicetroemeria said, heading back to her cabinet again. "This is the part where I need to pay a cost for the spell."

"Cost? What kind of cost?" Heinrich asked.

"Blood," Alicetroemeria replied bluntly as she returned from the cabinet with a knife. The knife was unusual, being made out of what looked like bone instead of steel. "For dark magic like this, you need to give a little of yourself in addition to mana. There are alternative spells that don't have these kinds of costs – but they take longer, and we don't have time to wait around."

While Alicetroemeria said these words casually, Heinrich was shocked by them. He didn't know much at all about magic – most of what he did know came from legends and folk tales – but one thing that everyone was certain about was that that darkness was the element of monsters. No human could use it, no matter how much they trained and no matter how much they ignored the teachings of the Goddess Ilias. It was said that all monsters had darkness within them, and high-ranking monsters like the Monster Lord had their very souls formed from darkness.

Alicetroemeria didn't pay any attention to Heinrich. Having slit her hand with the knife, she held out her hand over the magic circle and chanted, "With this gift of my lifeblood, link the fragment to the whole, guide me to what I seek."

As Alicetroemeria repeated this chant, streams of blood flowed from her hand to the magic circle, filling in the lines. There was so much red that Heinrich briefly forgot his previous concerns and now worried about Alicetroemeria's state of health. Just as he wondered whether to interrupt the spell, the blood flow stopped and Alicetroemeria also stopped chanting. Then all of the blood began flowing into the centre of the circle, gathering into a sphere that completely engulfed the exoskeleton. The sphere of blood changed in shape, now resembling an enormous scarlet teardrop. The point of the teardrop was facing towards the south.

Alicetroemeria waved her hand and the teardrop of blood floated up, hovering above her hand. She said, "If I did this right, this should act like a compass, showing us the direction of the insect that this exoskeleton came from. It won't last for more than a few hours – but I can always repeat the spell. Follow me."

After packing up her things, Alicetroemeria strode off without looking back. As he hurried after her, Heinrich watched her carefully. Despite losing so much blood, she wasn't unusually pale nor did her body shake. Coupled with the nature of the spell he had just seen her cast… Heinrich was much more cautious of Alicetroemeria than he had ever been before.

-ooo-

Saltik scanned the surroundings again. There wasn't anything unusual, but the Arachne couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had plagued her for the past week.

One of the Carabid Girls arrived to take over guard duty. Saltik thanked her and walked back to the camp, her eight long legs easily traversing the uneven ground.

The camp was rougher than any that humans would construct, as monsters were far more resilient to the elements than humans. It consisted of branches and logs piled up and tied together with silk. No fires were necessary, whether to keep warm or to cook food.

Right now, Saltik's allies were gathered in the centre of the camp, feasting on a number of deer which they had caught and butchered without needing tools. Saltik accepted a hunk of meat but didn't take part in the conversation, as she was an introvert by nature.

While chewing on the raw meat, Saltik headed over to the side of the camp to check on the group's captives. They were currently being watched by one of the Roach Girls, but one could never be too careful.

There were twenty two of the former bandits left – a few had managed to kill themselves to deny their essence to the insect monsters. Each of them had an arm or leg tied by a thick rope to a tree. While it would be simple for anyone of sound mind and body to free themselves, none of the men attempted this. Not because of the guard, but because all of them had already been broken in.

When the insects had captured the bandits, they had first checked to make sure the surroundings were clear, then proceeded to rape and dominate them. Gryll, their Cricket Girl leader, had taken the bandit's leader as her own personal toy. They had taken turns, with a few of the insects remaining on guard to stop the men from escaping and to keep an eye on the surroundings. Afterwards, they had moved to a defensible spot in the nearby forest, set up this camp, and continued to use the men as they pleased.

Saltik carefully examined each of the men. Their eyes were empty and lifeless, simply staring fixedly at one point. Their bodies were thin and lacked any of the muscle that they once had – while they were fed adequately, being roughly drained by monsters took its toll. When the Arachne approached them, the men showed no sign of defiance, or even any fear at what they thought would come next. They simply sat there, thoroughly broken, understanding of their new lot in life.

Once she was satisfied that the men would not try to escape, Saltik moved to a quiet spot away from the others. She climbed up a tree, her spider lower body easily scaling the trunk. Although her upper body was that of a nude human woman, the sharp twigs didn't leave a scratch on her. Her skin was as tough as leather and had a layer of chitinous plating underneath.

Saltik found a good vantage spot in the canopy. She relaxed and watched the afternoon sun slowly sink towards the horizon. While she relaxed, she thought about the events that had led up to this point.

After being shamefully defeated by that strange monster disguised as a human mage, the small band of insects had been thrown into disarray. Their original mission was to discreetly acquire men for the insect faction of Plansect Village, in preparation for the anticipated war with the plants. However, they no longer dared to go anywhere near Grand Noah, for fear of that disguised monster. They couldn't return to Plansect either, for they'd be demoted to menial labour at best, and devoured for their failure at worst.

There had been much heated argument over what to do next, but eventually Gryll had restored order. She was always the strong link of the group, having turned a ragtag bunch of misfits into a coherent and effective force. She had exploited the dislike that everyone in the group had for Plansect and suggested that they split off and form their own independent faction. She pointed out that their former superiors would not bother to stop them, having more urgent issues to deal with than their tiny group.

Though their group wouldn't remain so tiny for much longer. Insect monsters had high reproductive rates. While not a match for normal non-monster insects, they could still lay a dozen or more eggs at a time. For this the men were obviously indispensable and there was no way the insects would ever let them go. The men would eventually wear out, probably within a decade or two, but they could always find more. There was no shortage of replacements around.

While lost in these thoughts, Saltik spotted a blur of movement out of the corner of her eye. Gryll landed on the branch beside her, her powerful legs allowing her to reach this height in a single bound.

The Cricket Girl settled down beside Saltik and offered her a small bird as a snack. She said, "Hey there, Saltik. Feeling down lately?"

Saltik gratefully accepted the snack. "No, just… I'm having trouble believing our luck recently. I keep worrying that one day our luck will run out, and – "

"Don't worry about that," Gryll said, slapping Saltik on the back. "Worrying too much just shortens your life. Anyway, there's no chance of us being attacked, as long as we stick to small villages like the one we just came from. The humans have their own problems – while they may not have an all-out war brewing like in Plansect, they can't afford to defend all of their territory, not when it's spread out all over the place. In hindsight, we should have been doing this sooner instead of risking our lives hitting a hard target like Grand Noah."

"I know that, but…" Saltik said. "There's still that strange monster who stopped us back then – "

Gryll hissed. "Don't remind me of her. I get where you're coming from, but I don't think that _she'll_ be a problem again. I've seen her type before. The type that thinks that they can save the world on their own, rushing in without thinking of the consequences, and forgetting all about it afterwards. You only have to look at how she let us go, with only a warning, to see that. We'd have to be personally cursed by the Founder to be unlucky enough to run into her again."

Saltik hesitated, unsure of herself, then said, "I've been thinking about that monster for a while. She could disguise herself as a human, stop my ice, immediately retaliate with an earth spell, and finally create ice on a far larger scale than mine. I've been doing the calculations, about the power and skill required for such feats and – and I can't believe the results. It's on par with the greatest mages I've known in Plansect Village. And, on top of that, there's her physical ability. She could even defeat you head-on, and you know better than I do how difficult that is."

Gryll nodded, now looking increasingly concerned.

"The point is – " Saltik began, then gulped. "The point is, such a combination of physical _and_ magical skill is incredibly rare. What you said before, about people like her who rush into things – they usually get themselves _killed_ , they don't sneak up on and effortlessly beat an entire group of veterans. To have survived this long, and kept such ideals, she'd have to be at least Queen-class – "

Both of them became alert. Gryll's long antennae twitched, and Saltik's keen eyes spotted movement in the distance. After a silent agreement, the two of them moved through the canopy towards the source of the disturbance.

It soon became apparent that someone was approaching, and without making any efforts to hide their presence. Without a care in the world, they stepped on twigs and brushed past bushes.

Naturally, the rest of the insects were alerted by the sound. Several moved up into the trees as well, while the rest remained on the ground and advanced towards the intruder.

Saltik and Gryll were the first to arrive, only to immediately freeze.

They recognised her. They could not possibly forget her. The long green dress, the black pointed hat with a rabbit-shaped decoration, the orange gloves and cape, all were firmly imprinted in their memories.

But her face alone was different. Before, it had been filled with lively emotion. Now, it appeared blank and empty… but it was clear that something terrible smouldered within.

Saltik felt all eight of her legs tremble. For a moment, she feared that they really had been cursed by the Founder, that this monster in human form was an agent of the Dark Goddess, here to punish them for their crimes. And from the looks of things, her allies were filled with a similar fear.

Beside the Arachne, Gryll clenched her fists in anger. She jumped from her branch, falling over ten metres and landing on the ground. She stood up proudly, refusing to show any fear in her posture, and demanded of the intruder, "What do you want?"

The intruder met her gaze and, with a tone typically used for discussing the weather with an acquaintance, said, "Hello there. I was just passing through, and I happened to see you here. And I happened to see something that I shouldn't have." She put a finger on her lips and continued, "It's strange, it's something that I distinctly remember telling you _not_ to do. Do you know what I'm talking about?"

Several of the insects whimpered. Gryll glared at them and shouted out, "Don't give up! Don't back down! Remember what I taught you – as long as you draw breath, it's not over!"

Still casual, the disguised monster looked behind the insects at the tied up men. She said, "I also remember all of you, as well."

The former bandits shook with terror. Many of them clawed at their bindings, struggling to get away. That sent a shiver down Saltik's spine; just what had the disguised monster done to them, to inspire such fear in such thoroughly-broken men?

Gryll stood her ground and said, "I don't know how you managed to find us here, but don't think it'll be so easy this time. We've prepared to handle the likes of you!"

"Oh? And just what are these preparations?" The disguised monster, who was now clearly insane, asked casually. She started walking forward again, and the insects, though still afraid, did not retreat.

The monster in human form walked forward, right into the trap. Rings of yellow light appeared around her, stopping her taking another step or even moving her arms. It was a trap designed to stall an enemy, normally to let one of the insects close in and tear them to pieces – but that was far too great a risk for this particular enemy.

Gryll looked up at Saltik and said, "Plan C, now!"

Saltik jumped down as well, the great weight of her body causing a loud crash upon landing. The other twelve insects all converged on her. They either placed a hand on her or on someone who had their hand on her.

The Arachne mage focused on her task, trying to shut out all other stimuli. She gathered the mana from her allies and combined it with her own, an immense amount of energy that would destroy her body if she were to store it too long. She formed a spiritual connection with the colossal magic circle that covered the entire camp, made by carving symbols into each and every tree and boulder, all for this one purpose. A powerful spell within the Time Magic school, capable of levelling a building – Comet.

As she readied the spell, Saltik couldn't stop her doubts. A mage of the strange monster's calibre should have been able to see through the trap and the magic circle used for Comet. And in the first place, she had been acting strangely, even compared to before.

But she pushed down those doubts. She couldn't afford to fail, the stakes were simply too high. She had to do this, to save her friends!

Finally, the spell was complete. A massive space-time distortion appeared above the canopy. The insects quickly scattered and retreated to cover. From the hole in space-time, a mass of ice, the size of a large boulder, emerged and hurtled towards the earth.

The strange monster was still immobilised as the comet landed. She, and everything around her, was swallowed up by the explosion.

The insects remained in place, hoping desperately that their cover would hold against the devastating force. The heat of the explosion had turned the ice to steam, scalding the more sensitive parts of their bodies, but they dared not move.

Once the steam began to disperse, the insects allowed themselves to relax. Even the wary Saltik breathed a sigh of relief. After all, she thought, there was no way anyone could possibly survive –

"Is that all you have?"

For an instant, Saltik convinced herself that the voice was just a hallucination, a product of her stressed mind.

But the more the steam dispersed, the more she could see the gigantic silhouette within.

It was a grotesque mix of the traits of different monsters. Like a lamia, she had the lower body of an immense serpent, one clad in dark purple scales. But from her back, countless tentacles extended: some the sucker-clad limbs of cephalopods, some the green tendrils of plants. Despite all this, her upper body was disconcertingly human, with pale pink skin and blonde hair.

Then the grotesque monster looked at them, with her furious crimson eyes.

"In that case, _die_."

The monster began gathering an enormous amount of mana, far greater than what Saltik had just wielded, so dense that she could feel it in her bones. Saltik could not muster up the will to resist or even to flee. She could only remain frozen in place. The same was true for her friends. Moreover, she could hear the captive men crying out in terror as well.

The spell took only a few seconds to complete. The grotesque monster raised her hands and roared, "Burn in the flames of hell – Omega Blaze!"

A torrent of flame consumed everything.

-ooo-

Heinrich ran with all of his might, sword at the ready, desperately trying to arrive in time.

Alicetroemeria had told him to stay put as she could handle everything herself. But he couldn't just sit around anymore, not after what he'd realised about his companion, and especially not after what he'd just heard.

The two explosions, one after another, had whipped the animals of the forest into a frenzy. From the smallest mouse to the largest stag, all obeyed their instincts and fled from the source of the explosions – all except this one human. Heinrich also felt the urge to flee – the situation would have shaken even the most hardened warrior – but he forced down his fear and ran towards the source.

He spotted the cloud of smoke and soot up ahead. He raised his sword, in his fear imagining a dozen monsters ready to pounce.

But when the smoke cleared, Heinrich saw the truth. His sword fell from his hands.

There was nothing there. No monsters. No bandits. No buildings. There weren't even trees or logs. Just ash, for dozens of metres around.

Heinrich remained rooted to the spot. He couldn't take his eyes off the scene of utter devastation before him. Then there was a noise from behind him. He whirled around, realising that he had been too focused on the obvious destruction, and found who he was looking for.

Alicetroemeria was slumped against a tree, just outside the boundaries of the burnt area. She was completely naked, but Heinrich wasn't remotely in the state of mind to get embarrassed about that. She was staring at the ground, with an unblinking gaze that belonged on a corpse, not a living being.

Heinrich walked over, unsure what to do. His first thought was to give her something to wear, but he'd dropped his bag when he'd started running. Gulping, he asked, "A…lice? Can you hear me? What's wrong with you?"

Alicetroemeria flinched at these words. Not meeting Heinrich's gaze, she said, "What's wrong with me? Everything."

"It… it can't be that – no, that's wrong," Heinrich said, injecting as much strength into his voice as he could muster. "You – alright, I'll admit that you made a mistake, but so did I! All this time, I was too afraid of talking to you about this, and – and it's my fault as well. You can't blame yourself for all of this. In the end, it's the bandits and monsters who made the choice to go back to their old ways. It wasn't your…"

Heinrich trailed off when Alicetroemeria finally raised her eyes to meet his.

"It's not just that," Alicetroemeria said. "I killed them. I killed them, Heinrich. Thirteen insects, twenty two bandits – I counted them. I completely vaporised them all. They'll never get to see another sunrise, to laugh or cry or do anything else ever again."

Heinrich racked his brain, trying to find any way to cheer Alicetroemeria up. He said, "I – for what it's worth, they committed crimes that would have them sentenced to death anywhere, several times over."

"I know," Alicetroemeria said bluntly. "That doesn't change what I did. And it won't bring back those villagers, or the men taken from Grand Noah – by the Founder, how could I have been so _stupid_? I just gave them warnings and let them go free, not even thinking to check up on them – " She cradled her face in her hands for a few moments. After regaining a modicum of composure, she continued, "Heinrich, there's something I have to tell you. Something that you should have known when we first met."

Even the inexperienced Heinrich could discern the flow of the conversation. He wondered if he should interrupt, tell her to leave it to tomorrow if she wasn't comfortable revealing it.

Alicetroemeria stood up and took a few steps away from the tree. Then, in less than a second, she _changed_. Her legs blurred together into an enormous serpentine tail while a tangled mass of tentacles emerged from her back.

Looking sadly at the shocked Heinrich, she said, "My real name is Mary Fateburn. And I'm the future Monster Lord."

* * *

 **And so ends this chapter.**

 **These past few chapters contain a number of themes I think are important. One is humans and monsters both being people – both being capable of evil as well as good. So I put in both a group of human bandits and a group of monster sex-slave traffickers, and had them go through a parallel series of events. Another theme is that people aren't one-dimensional objects, to help or hinder the main characters as needed for the plot. So I had the bandits, insects and Grand Noah guards be competent at their jobs and caring for their comrades, with one of each being smart enough to figure out Mary's identity.**

 **By the way, if you're wondering about where I got the names from, Salticidae is the scientific name for jumping spiders and Gryllidae is the scientific name for crickets.**


	9. Chapter 8: Yamatai

_AN: With this chapter, the first story arc of this fic is finished. I'll be taking a short break due to real life issues, but the next chapter shouldn't take too long._

* * *

Heinrich scooped up a spoonful of stew and held it out, but Mary didn't accept it. She simply sat there and stared into the distance.

He hesitated for a while, then said, "Please. You have to be hungry, and the stew's getting cold."

Mary did eventually start eating, but she only had a tenth of her usual portion. There was still some left in the pot and Heinrich, out of stress, ended up finishing it off.

After dinner was over, the two of them sat with some distance between them. Mary gave off an aura that made it hard to even look at her, let alone approach her. And this was actually an improvement from the past few days, when she had barely eaten anything at all.

Heinrich was deeply unsettled. To see his traveling companion lose interest in food, to the point of even eating less than him, seemed to be more disturbing than anything else.

The two of them were currently travelling northeast, still heading towards Yamatai. It seemed foolish to continue their original course, but it was really their only option. Back when Mary had revealed her true identity and purpose, she had dejectedly offered to send Heinrich to whichever human settlement he wanted, and he had chosen Yamatai. Returning to Grand Noah was completely out of the question – aside from the distance, Heinrich didn't want Mary to commit suicide upon being reminded of her failure regarding the city. The smaller villages and towns would be difficult for a stranger like Heinrich to assimilate into. Only Yamatai was left, and it was the closest as well.

Heinrich looked at Mary's back, which seemed far smaller than before. The future Monster Lord had gone back to her human guise, saying that it was necessary for her to avoid being found out by other monsters. She had mentioned that when explaining the reason for her journey around the world.

He still had trouble believing that part. While growing up, he'd been taught that the Monster Lord was the dark counterpart to the Goddess Ilias. Not in the sense of being just as powerful – for it was the height of blasphemy to even insinuate such a thing – but in the sense of being as evil as Ilias was good. They were said to devour scores of humans every single day to maintain their power and beauty. They were said to kill even other monsters for the slightest provocation, and were thus feared even by the ones they ruled over. And these were just some of the least implausible stories told about them.

And, for the past month and a half, he'd been spending every single day with the daughter of the current Monster Lord, who would eventually become the next one. For almost all of that time, she had shown herself to be kinder than everyone else he'd ever met, and idealistic to the point of letting clear criminals go free with a warning. If the Monster Lord of rumour was the villain of a children's fairy tale, Mary could only be the hero of the same story.

Heinrich held his head in his hands, his heart filled with turmoil. Seventeen years of Ilias' teachings didn't go away that easily. Even if the priests and nuns had been negligent towards bullying among their charges, they had still put in the time and effort to raise Heinrich. And yet his recent experiences, in which he was able to see monsters, to talk to and understand them, could not be denied either. No matter what, the only reason he was still alive today was because Mary had saved him, all the way back in Finoa.

 _But when I think back on that, it's awfully convenient that she happened to arrive right on time_ , Heinrich thought. _By saving me and that girl, she gained the loyalty of a human, who would be useful for her mission._

When such thoughts ran through his head, Heinrich frantically tried his best to banish them. _That's wrong, it wasn't like that! In the first place, I ended up travelling with her because I managed to find her out in the forest, that's not something anyone could have planned._

Heinrich looked at Mary again. Normally, at this time of night, she would be doing something like gazing at the star-filled night sky, watching the activities of ants on the ground, or simply sitting back and contentedly digesting a huge dinner. Now, she was uncannily still. She gave Heinrich the impression of a corpse, even though she was sitting up and he knew she was alive.

He wondered what he could do to help her. If there were words he could say to raise her mood even slightly, he had absolutely no idea what they were. He also wasn't able to bring himself to hug her again, and doubted that would even help at this point.

 _There has to be_ something _I can say to her… 'Hey, even though you lied to me all this time, I'm okay with that'… 'Even though you're a monster who was pretending to be a human, I'm grateful to you'…_

Heinrich cursed himself for only being able to think of stupid ideas. Eventually, he decided that there was nothing more he could do tonight, and went to bed.

Sleep didn't come easily to Heinrich. Even after lying down and closing his eyes, he simply couldn't clear his mind. A turbulent storm of thoughts and emotions swirled in the depths of his consciousness, denying him the chance to relax.

-ooo-

 _Pain._

 _Iron bands around his chest, squeezing, crushing his ribs._

 _No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't get free._

 _Then_ she _appeared in front of him. Dirty blonde hair, blood-red eyes, a smile filled with sadistic glee. Her body covered in swollen pustules, out of which burst writhing tentacles, swarms of chattering insects, streams of viscous slime._

 _She approached him, as close as a lover, so close that her warm breaths brushed against his lips._

 _"It's been fun, Heinrich. But I always get tired of my toys eventually, so… time to finish this."_

 _The tentacles slithered all over his body, sliding into his clothes and caressing his skin. He shuddered in disgust. But no matter how much he protested, the tentacles didn't stop._

 _She spoke again, with the tone of someone about to savour a delicious meal._

 _"Don't worry. Even if your mouth says no, your body is honest. This'll feel incredible for you. Now… I hope you're as tasty as you look."_

 _She closed in for the kill…_

-ooo-

Heinrich woke up, his heart racing with unrestrained terror. He held himself tightly, fingernails digging into his arms, trying to reassure himself that he was safe in the world of reality. Then he looked at Mary, who was currently on watch, and couldn't suppress a shudder.

Mary shifted her body very slightly. Even though she wasn't looking in his direction, Heinrich could tell why.

For the rest of the night, Heinrich couldn't sleep at all.

-ooo-

The next morning, they prepared to travel again. The two of them completed preparations without exchanging a word, and not because of familiarity with the work. They then set off, still in silence.

The forest thinned out and gave way to a meadow. It was an idyllic landscape, a seemingly endless sea of grass under an azure sky, but it was worthless to the two of them in their current state. They simply trudged on, one step at a time, not caring for the gentle wind on their skin or the warmth of the morning sun.

Because of the open terrain, Heinrich could see what lay between them and their destination. A row of mountains, poking just above the horizon. The mountains were an indistinct blue band right now, but at this speed they would reach them before nightfall.

That still left the current problem unsolved. Even in the light of a new day, Heinrich was still no closer to a solution than he had been yesterday. The few ideas that did come to mind, such as pointing out the various kinds of plants and animals in sight, just seemed childish in the current situation.

And so they advanced towards Yamatai without speaking at all. The absence of their usual lighthearted conversation resulted in an eerie atmosphere, even in the bright light of day.

Noon arrived, and they made a quick stop for lunch. A simple affair, wild berries with some dried meat – Mary wasn't in the mood to try catching anything, and the few animals around were too small and quick for Heinrich. Then they resumed the trek.

The mountains grew bigger and bigger. Heinrich could now see the outlines of trees on the lower slopes and the caps of white snow on the peaks. He also realised that there was no clear way through the mountains.

The sun was setting when they reached the base of the mountains. The sheer size of the obstacle became apparent at this distance – there were mountains stretching from horizon to horizon. The problem of how to advance did have one benefit, though, in that it forced the two of them to start talking again.

Heinrich hesitated to speak, so Mary ended up breaking the silence first. She said, in a flat tone, "I'm sorry, I forgot to bring this up earlier. I was…"

"No, you don't have to – I understand," Heinrich said awkwardly.

Mary looked at the mountain range, her eyes scanning from left to right, and sighed. "From the looks of things, that mountain over there" – she pointed at a mountain on the left, " – is the shortest one. If we go across by climbing, it would take us two days at the very least, more likely three and potentially even four, to reach the other side."

"That sounds about right," Heinrich said. "It doesn't look like the path continues here, so we'll have to be careful and go slower than usual."

The conversation ended there. Heinrich was still grateful for it, even if they hadn't looked at each other while talking, as anything was better than the painful silence of before.

They decided to start the climb the next morning. But just as they were about to set up camp for the night, two people approached.

From a distance, the pair were human in shape. But as they got closer, Heinrich could see that they were taller than almost any human, being over two metres in height. Despite being female, their bodies bulged with thick muscles. They looked like they could easily uproot a tree with their bare hands or deflect a sword with their bare skin. They had bright red skin and each one had a single conical horn growing from her forehead. They wore loincloths of tiger skin and nothing else, leaving their upper bodies exposed. Both of the strange monsters – for they could be nothing else – were armed with massive clubs that, Heinrich realised on a closer look, were made of solid iron. Despite the fearsome power of their weapons, the monsters held the clubs at a nonthreatening position.

One of the monsters called out, "Hey there! What business do you have here?" She spoke the common tongue, albeit with a strange accent that Heinrich had only heard once or twice before, from passers-by in Grand Noah.

By all indications, the monsters weren't hostile. Heinrich replied, "We're heading to Yamatai! Do you know how to get there?"

"Why do you want to go to Yamatai?" the humanoid monster asked.

Heinrich hesitated before answering, as the truth would be painful in many ways if revealed. He decided on an answer that was partly true, at least with regards to him: "We heard stories about how humans and monsters live together peacefully in Yamatai, and wanted to see it for ourselves. Please, we don't mean any harm."

After hearing these words, the two monsters looked at each other and started talking in a language foreign to Heinrich. They glanced at Mary, who remained silent and didn't meet their gaze. This was worrying to Heinrich – though he was certain that the two monsters were far weaker than Mary, if it somehow came down to a fight, he wasn't sure how the future Monster Lord would fare in her current state.

Finally, the monsters came to a decision. One of them said. "Alright, it doesn't look like you'd be any trouble. We'll guide you to Yamatai. But first, are you ready to set out now, or do you want to wait until tomorrow morning?"

Heinrich looked at Mary, but she didn't show any signs of interest in the conversation. He said, though not without some hesitation, "I think we're ready to go now."

The monsters began to guide them to the route to Yamatai. Along the way, they explained that they were Oni, a type of humanoid monster distinguished by their single horns and great strength. Oni were in turn part of the youkai family of monsters, or demi-humans as they were known outside the Yamatai region. The two of them were part of the village's guards. Their job was to guide travellers to the village and to give advance warning of any threats.

They arrived at the entrance to a cave. It was well disguised, with overhanging ivy that caused it to blend in with the surrounding mountainside. Heinrich didn't even notice it until he was ten metres away.

Stopping at the entrance, one of the Oni said, "It'll take us most of the night, maybe the whole night, to get to the other side. Are you sure you still want to start now?"

Heinrich said yes and they entered the cave.

Under normal circumstances, Heinrich would have been awed at the scenery. The cave was, in many places, as tall as a two storey building and just as wide. Rows of stalactites and stalagmites, many taller than a man, lined the ceiling and floor. Lighting was provided by large spherical gems embedded in the walls, which gave off a soft green glow.

But right now, Heinrich paid barely any attention to that. He was still worried sick about Mary. She hadn't spoken a word since they had arrived at the mountains, nor had she shown any signs of emotion.

 _It must be because of how I looked at her that night, after I woke up from that nightmare… Damn it, what was I thinking?_

He thought deeply, trying to find some way to cheer her up. But as he sifted through his memories for answers, he only became discouraged.

He remembered an incident back in the orphanage, when one of the other kids had been feeling miserable that day due to a minor illness. They had heard someone else laughing and that that they were being laughed at, causing them to punch the one who was laughing. The laughter had actually been because of hearing a joke, but that didn't change the fact that the punch had knocked out several teeth. After that incident, those two had a permanent hatred of each other, and wouldn't listen to anyone who tried to explain the truth.

This was the same. Even though Heinrich had never explained the contents of his nightmare to Mary, it was easy enough for her to guess. Frankly, he was amazed that she was putting in the effort to escort him all the way to Yamatai.

And with the two Oni around, it was even more awkward to try to talk to Mary about their problems.

They walked for hours – the lack of the sun or moon prevented Heinrich from knowing the exact duration. The air became cool but not bone-chilling cold, as it would have been if they were outside the cave.

Finally, they reached the exit. The first faint beams of sunlight could be seen through the exit, showing that dawn had just arrived. Heinrich was slightly tired by this point, but none of the monsters around him showed signs of fatigue, so he pressed on.

Upon emerging from the cave, Heinrich took in a few breaths of fresh air and then looked around at the landscape. The cave entrance was located a fair distance up on the mountainside, giving him a good vantage point.

Near the base of the mountain was lush forest, which was a pleasant shade of bright green in the morning sun. Beyond that, Heinrich could see what appeared to be a vast treeless swamp, dotted with a few houses. And beyond that, he could see a faint blue band. While it looked a little like another mountain range, it was entirely level without any peaks or valleys. It was something that Heinrich had heard many stories about, but never seen in person – the sea.

Under normal circumstances, he would have been excited at the prospect of seeing it in person. A vast body of water, so vast that you could travel for months and never see land… in his usual state of mind, he might have run himself ragged trying to get to the coast as fast as possible. But now? He wasn't sure what to do.

One of the Oni said, "Okay, we're making good time. At this rate, we'll reach the village before noon. Can you keep up?"

Heinrich looked at Mary, who simply said, "We can," and they set off again.

They walked through the forest. It had plants and animals that Heinrich had never seen or heard of before. However, that wasn't what grabbed his attention.

There was a Nekomata, a cat-like monster with triangular ears, bushy tail, and paws instead of hands and feet. There was a Kappa, a monster with green skin, a turtle shell on her back and a strange plate-like structure on top of her head. There was an Akaname, a monster who was mostly humanoid save for her extremely long tongue, as long as a person's arm.

As they walked along the path, they encountered many monsters. The passing monsters greeted them cordially and either introduced themselves or were introduced by the Oni. Heinrich had never heard of these kinds of monsters before, but they apparently made up the monsters native to the Yamatai region. They seemed quite interested in him and Mary, as it was rare for human travellers to come here. Given the village's reputation, Heinrich could understand why.

Then they came to the environment that Heinrich had previously mistaken for a swamp. He now realised that it was in fact flooded fields, with the buildings being farmhouses. There was a seemingly endless expanse of strange green crops, poking up above the shallow water. Farmers waded through the fields and tended to the crops. Although the farmers were dressed oddly, with flattened conical hats woven from straw, they were still a familiar and reassuring sight to Heinrich.

After thinking about it, he realised that the strange crop was called rice. He had seen the finished product in a restaurant in Grand Noah, though he had a hard time connecting those soft white grains to the plants he saw before him. From the little he'd heard, it was a staple crop in the east of the Noah region and was notable for being grown in water.

They continued on the narrow but dry path through the fields. Along the way, Heinrich saw several more youkai working in the fields alongside the farmers. At one point, they encountered a trio of monster children, who each had fox ears on their heads and two fluffy fox tails swaying around behind them. The children ran up to them, excited at the strange humans. Heinrich chatted with them awkwardly – he wasn't that good with children to begin with, and he wasn't in the mood right now – learning that their kind was called Kitsunes. In the end, the Oni boisterously lifted the Kitsune children up into the air and patted their heads, then sent them off.

The sun was well above the horizon when they arrived to the village. The houses looked outwardly like the ones Heinrich was familiar with, with wooden walls and thatched roofs. However, as he saw people enter and leave, he realised that the doors opened and closed by sliding, rather than turning on hinges. As in the fields, monsters freely intermingled with humans in the streets, browsed the same stalls, and in some cases walked together as couples. It was an astounding sight, one that Heinrich would have considered impossible just a few months ago.

One of the Oni said, "Wait here, I'll go and ask about what to do with you two," and left.

The other Oni remained behind. She was helpful and answered their questions – well, just Heinrich's questions, as Mary still remained silent. She gave off an invisible aura that made it impossible for either of them to approach her. Meanwhile, the passing villagers looked curiously at the newcomers.

Eventually the first Oni returned, looking shocked and surprised. She said to Heinrich and Mary, "You – I've been told by the nine tails to bring you to her."

These words meant little to Heinrich, but they elicited a reaction from Mary. She blinked and said, "Wait, really? Why would someone like that – "

"I – I don't know either, that's just what I've been told to do," the Oni said.

Mary looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned to Heinrich and said, "We'd better do as she says."

Heinrich was surprised, but also relieved, that Mary was opening up a little. He nodded.

They followed the Oni through the village. Along the way, Heinrich learned about the mysterious figure who wanted to meet with them.

"How should I explain this… first, I need to explain what monsters are in this village," one of the Oni said. "Erm… basically humans here worship monsters as gods."

Hearing this, Heinrich couldn't help but say, "What? That – sorry, but I don't really get that impression." He gestured around at the village to prove his point.

"It's not like that goddess most humans worship," the other Oni explained. "I can't think of any other word for it, though. Anyway, you could say that our idea of gods is different from yours. Here, gods are something you meet in everyday life. You talk to them, you work with them, you can marry and make a family with them."

Heinrich remained silent as he digested this information. The very idea was the highest of blasphemy. Ilias' fourth commandment was "Thou shalt not rely on other gods", and the humans of Yamatai didn't just break this commandment, they even considered monsters their gods. Moreover, the Goddess Ilias was a being without equal, the creator of all in this world. Only those with unrivalled faith could ever hope to meet her. If a priest or nun were to hear about this, they would probably either die of shock or attempt to punish the sinners even at the cost of their life. But right now… Heinrich wasn't sure what to make of it.

"You said it was the nine tails… to be clear, this is a Kitsune that you're talking about?" Mary asked.

"Yes, that's right," the first Oni said. "She is… she is the highest-ranking monster in this entire village, maybe in this entire region. No one knows just how old she is, but she's been here ever since this village was founded, over two hundred years ago. She is basically the leader of this village."

"Kitsunes get more tails as they grow older and become more powerful," Mary explained to Heinrich. "Nine tails is the highest number they can get… in fact, I've never heard of any still alive."

"She is – well, she doesn't leave the village and she rarely talks to people, so that makes sense," the second Oni said. She turned to look forward and continued, "Ah – we're here."

Heinrich looked in the same direction and saw a magnificent building, easily twice the size of any of the others. Its roof was made of tiles and oddly shaped, with the eaves curved upwards. It definitely looked like a place to worship a chief goddess. In front of the building were several Kitsunes and more than a dozen normal foxes. The Kitsunes had tail numbers ranging from three to five. They wore what was clearly ceremonial clothing, consisting of a long-sleeved white upper garment and long red trousers.

"This is the Fox Shrine," the first Oni said. "We'll leave you to the miko here."

The two Oni left, then the Kitsunes approached and led Heinrich and Mary inside the building.

The interior of the shrine was clean and sparsely furnished. The Kitsunes led the two through a wooden corridor and stopped just outside the door of a room.

The door was pulled open, allowing Heinrich to see the lone Kitsune in the room.

She was, to say the least, nothing like he'd expected. Heinrich had been expecting someone with a divine majesty comparable to the Goddess Ilias. While that comparison wasn't exactly flattering towards Ilias, it was the only one he could think of right now. He had imagined an imposing, _tall_ figure, one who filled all who beheld her with awe.

The Kitsune Heinrich saw could only be described as… as _adorable_. She only came up to Heinrich's chest, and Heinrich was far from tall by human standards. She had a round face and large green eyes filled with a sense of playfulness. A pair of fox ears, the insides filled with white fluff, stood on top of her head and quivered excitedly. Her hair was blonde with a touch of orange, and decorated with a red string tied into the shape of a butterfly. Nine voluminous tails, with fur the same colour as her hair, waved about behind her in cheerful defiance of gravity. Her clothing was similar to that of the other Kitsunes, but with purple in place of red. To complete the picture, she held a strange tool called a 'fan', one that Heinrich had seen some of the villagers use to cool themselves.

The nine-tailed Kitsune spoke, in a high voice that was perfectly suited to her appearance, "Hello there! I hope your enjoying your time in this humble village. My name is Tamamo, what are your names?"

Heinrich was caught off guard by the Kitsune's childish exuberance and childish… appearance. As a result, Mary replied first. She said, with cautious formality, "My name is Mary Fateburn. I am the daughter of the current Monster Lord, Alipheese Fateburn the Seventh."

"And – and my name is Heinrich. I'm – " Heinrich said hastily. "I'm just a normal human traveller."

Tamamo gestured for the other Kitsunes to leave, which they did silently, and continued, "Okay then, Mary, Heinrich, welcome to Yamatai Village. You're probably wondering why I've called you two here when you only just arrived."

After some hesitation, Mary said, "I was suppressing my aura as much as I possibly could, but… I'm guessing that wasn't enough."

"That's right!" Tamamo said. "But you don't have to feel too bad about that. You're actually doing a good job, it's just that, to someone who's lived as long as I have, it's not enough."

Heinrich was bemused at these words. Even if he had been told that nine tails was a sign of age and power for a Kitsune, it didn't mean that he could take someone with such a childish appearance seriously.

"But – hmm…" Tamamo held the fan to her chin thoughtfully. "This might seem like an odd question, coming from a resident of a village like this, but what are the two of you doing together?"

This question caused the two of them to look at each other awkwardly, then quickly look down at the floor. Eventually, Mary raised her head and began to explain.

She talked about how her mother had sent her out to travel the world and learn more about it. She talked about how she'd met Heinrich – though conspicuously leaving out the part where she had saved him and Ellen form bandits – and they ended up travelling together. She talked about the many places they had been to, the sights they had seen and the people they had met.

Heinrich paid close attention to every word. Because of that, he was able to realise an important truth: Mary had sincerely enjoyed her experiences. With the obvious exception of the parts she skipped over, she had a definite pride in her voice at she recounted the past. It was the first time, since _that night_ , that he had seen her with any kind of positive emotion.

His mind then shifted to the topic of Ilias. An image of the golden-haired goddess, an image refined by seeing countless paintings and statues of her, appeared in his imagination. But he could no longer feel any particular attachment to her. He recalled the commandments of Ilias, one by one, but now he no longer wanted to follow them. The whole idea of a goddess high up in the heavens, who was all-loving and yet demanded that monsters be exterminated, was contradicted by everything that he had seen in the past two months.

Heinrich looked at the person beside him, and made up his mind.

Mary finished her explanation without mentioning the bandits or insect monsters at all. While she was talking, Tamamo had not interrupted her once. Contrary to her appearance, it seemed that she was a good listener.

Once she had heard everything, Tamamo snapped open her fan and said, "Well, it seems that you two have had quite the troubling experience. But I've only been hearing from one of you. Heinrich, what do you think about this? And, Mary, please remain silent until he gives his answer."

Heinrich flinched a little upon being addressed. He knew what he had to say, but working up the will to say it was another matter entirely.

"Was my question too vague?" Tamamo said. "In that case, how about this: now that you know the truth about her, are you still willing to travel with Mary?"

Mary blinked and opened her mouth to speak, but Tamamo silenced her with a gesture. The Kitsune then looked at Heinrich expectantly.

Heinrich didn't take long to answer. He said, "Yes. I am."

This answer caused Mary to open her eyes wide, and Tamamo to give a soft laugh. The latter said, "That wasn't so hard after all, was it? Sometimes, you need someone else to help you work through your problems."

Heinrich wasn't quite sure what to make of Tamamo's reaction. He looked towards Mary but immediately felt his face flush and turned away. Although he'd only caught a brief glimpse of her, he could sense that Mary had performed the exact same action.

Tamamo snapped her fan closed again and declared, "Now then, I'd like to talk to the two of you one at a time. After all, there are definitely still things that you want to keep private from each other."

The two of them agreed and, after a moment of discussion, Heinrich remained in the room with Tamamo while Mary stepped outside.

-ooo-

Mary looked at the door again. Heinrich and Tamamo had been talking for about five minutes now. She couldn't hear any of their conversation – while the walls were thin, it seemed that they were enchanted to block out sound, presumably for occasions such as this.

While she waited, she sipped from a cup of hot tea, brought to her by one of the Kitsune mikos. The tea was still boiling hot, but it produced no more than a slight tingle on her lips. She allowed herself to become lost in thought.

 _Could it be – no, that's just wishful thinking. You're a monster, and not just any monster, but the daughter of the Monster Lord. This whole idea was stupid in the first place. Mother and Dinah were right, I should have just kept to myself to start with. Then none of this would have ever happened._

Suddenly, Heinrich slid open the door and Mary found herself face to face with him. It was so sudden that neither of them managed to look away in time. They stared at each other for a few seconds, then Heinrich averted his gaze and said, "Um – now it's your turn."

Mary muttered a quick thanks before stepping past him into the room. As the door slid shut again, she turned to look at Tamamo.

The elder Kitsune was an enigma. It wasn't the childish appearance that was strange – many high-level monsters could change their appearance at will, and choosing a youthful form was, while uncommon, not unheard of. The strange part was that, behind the façade of immaturity, Tamamo was clearly hiding something – but Mary wasn't sure what that was. The simple answer was that she acted in such a manner to make others lower their guard and hence reveal more about themselves. Still, Mary couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to it.

Tamamo looked at Mary and said, "Alright, you can tell me as much or as little as you want. You can also leave and take a break for the day, if that's what you want."

Mary looked down at the ground. "I don't understand," she said, "why would he say that? Was he just trying to spare my feelings?"

"I can't tell you what he just said to me," Tamamo said, "that would defeat the point of talking to you separately. I can tell you, though, that he wasn't just trying to spare your feelings. He was serious about that."

"How – how is that possible?" Mary said. "He's – I mean – "

"A worshipper of Ilias, you mean?" Tamamo asked. "It's not quite so simple as that. There's a lot of variation in how humans follow their faith. You may not know this, but the Noah region is actually quite unusual in how humans treat monsters. In the other three regions of the Sentora continent – the Ilias continent is another matter entirely – things are more relaxed and you can often see monsters in human towns."

"Really?" Mary said. "Wait, how do you know that?"

"This village isn't _that_ isolated," Tamamo said. "We get travelling merchants every few weeks on average, and one or two of our people often go out to experience the world, then come back and tell us of what they've seen. Anyway, as I was saying, few humans adhere that strongly to the tenets of Ilias. Even in the Noah region, the leaders of the humans accept the existence of monsters, and even that a few humans become our mates. They do it out of pragmatism – they can't wipe out our kind or stop humans from being with monsters, and both sides know it – but still. And from what I've heard, Heinrich didn't exactly have the kind of upbringing that would endear him to Ilias and her faith."

While this all made sense, Mary still had trouble believing that anyone would want to still accompany her. She said, "In that case… did Heinrich tell you about what happened a few days ago, the reason why I had to tell him the truth about – about who I am?"

"He didn't," Tamamo replied. "I could guess that _something_ major happened from his – and your – behaviour, but he didn't tell me any of the details."

Mary sighed. "I can understand why," she said. "To explain things, I need to start almost at the beginning. When I first met Heinrich, I saved him and another human from a gang of human bandits. I beat up the bandits and told them to stop committing crimes – and that's all I did. Then, later, we came to Grand Noah and found that monsters – specifically, insects from Plansect Village – were raiding it to kidnap men. I put a stop to that – again, letting the insects go free with just a warning. Then – " Mary choked back a sob and continued, "Then – a few days ago, we found a village that had been completely destroyed, there wasn't anyone left alive. It turned out that the bandits had attacked the village first, then the insects found them and captured them. I found – I found the insects again, and I – and I killed all of them."

Mary couldn't bear it anymore and crumpled to the floor, sobbing. She felt soft arms embrace her, and continued crying into Tamamo's shoulder.

After Mary had recovered somewhat, Tamamo stepped away and said, "You've definitely gone through a lot. However, I must say that you're _not_ as bad as you think you are."

"…How can you say that?" Mary said.

"Killing someone for the first time is a horrific thing, I understand that," Tamamo said. "However – and there's no easy way to say this – there are times when it is necessary. In any society around the world, those who committed such crimes would be either sentenced to death or at least to a lifetime of hard labour. You don't need to – "

"'Don't need to' what!?" Mary shouted. "You don't understand anything! You don't know what it's like, seeing someone just _disappear_! You don't know what it's like to have _hundreds_ of people die, all because of what you've done!"

After that angry outburst, Mary breathed heavily and gradually felt ashamed of herself. She remembered that a nine-tailed Kitsune could only reach that level after centuries of life, and it was unlikely for Tamamo to have done so without experiencing hardships of her own. She bowed her head and murmured, "Sorry. That was wrong, I…"

However, Tamamo didn't look offended in the slightest. With an understanding smile on her face, she said, "It's alright. Now, do you want to take a break first, or can you keep going?"

"I can keep going," Mary said, though not without a bit of hesitation.

"In that case, Mary, I have to repeat my previous point," Tamamo said. "You are _not_ as bad as you think you are, and that's why Heinrich is still willing to go with you. You made a mistake, that is undeniable. However, you didn't mean for such consequences to happen, and you can learn from this to avoid making this kind of mistake again."

"I get what you mean, but…" Mary said. "How do I put it? It goes against everything I've believed in, for my entire life. I always thought that I could get along with anyone with enough effort, and solve every problem that way."

Tamamo held up a hand and said, "I have to interrupt you there. You're probably thinking that you need to become hard, ruthless, merciless – whatever word suits you – from now on. That's _not_ what I'm suggesting."

Mary widened her eyes in surprise. She said, "But, you just told me to learn from this mistake."

"I did, but you mustn't go too far in the other direction, either," Tamamo said sternly. "There's a saying in this village: 'The hand of peace is not always the best option, _but neither is the sword of war_ '. Basically, a leader who is only hard and ruthless is just as poor a leader as one who is only kind and merciful."

"Really?" Mary said, uncertain of herself. "I – from what I've heard – "

"Did you hear something along the lines of mercy always being foolish?" Tamamo asked. "Pay that no mind. There are many people out there who believe such things, that much is true – but the world would not be able to function if they were right. They would argue that you should use fear and terror to keep your enemies from even thinking of opposing you. But, as I mentioned before, not everyone thinks the same way. There are those who only fight harder under the yoke of oppression, who will never stop resisting you… unless you know how to be merciful."

Mary spent some time thinking about these words. The message was actually a familiar one: she remembered hearing such things in her lessons. She now regretted, more than ever before, not paying attention in her lessons.

Eventually, Mary said, "You've given me a lot to think about. I do have one question, though: how can you keep it up? How do you manage to be kind when you need to, and ruthless at other times?"

"That is a good question," Tamamo said. "To answer that – please follow me."

Tamamo headed for the door and opened it, Mary behind her. The Kitsune told Heinrich, who had been waiting nervously in the corridor, to follow them as well. They headed for the exit, Tamamo courteously greeting the mikos they passed, and stepped out into the sunlight.

There were a group of children, humans and monsters, playing around a nearby tree. When they saw Mary and the others emerge from the shrine, they rushed over with the boundless energy of the young and crowded around them. They were particularly focused on Tamamo, delightedly pulling on her fluffy tails, but several of them also looked curious about the two strangers.

One of the children, a human boy of around six, looked up at Mary and asked, "Um, excuse me, but what – er, who are you? Why are you with Mighty Fox?"

Upon hearing the title "Mighty Fox", Mary briefly glanced at the Kitsune, who was around the same height as the children she was playing with. Then Mary's previous experience with children kicked in. She knelt down and said to the boy, "Hello there. My name is Mary, what's your name?"

"My – my name is Shiro," the boy said.

"Well, Shiro, I should say first that I'm actually a monster, even though I look like this. As for why I'm here…"

Mary told Shiro a brief summary of her journey. Then other children became interested in her, so she started playing with them as well. Even Heinrich was able to get over his nervousness and join in on the fun.

Eventually, the children lost interest and drifted away, some undoubtedly hungry for lunch. Mary now felt very different from before. When she had just arrived in the village, she didn't experience any of the wonder or joy that she would normally have. Despite the bright light of the morning sun, everything had seemed to be devoid of colour in her eyes. But now, she was able to see the vibrant scenery of the village, to hear the sounds of bustling activity, to feel the gentle breeze on her face.

Mary looked at Tamamo, who was smiling in a knowing fashion, and said, "Thanks." No more words were needed.

Tamamo waved her fan dismissively, replying, "No need to thank me, I'm just an old granny with too much time on her hands."

Mary then turned to Heinrich. Neither of them looked away this time. Mary said to him, "Thanks as well, for sticking with me."

Heinrich laughed, embarrassed. He said, "Don't worry, it's the least I can do to repay you for everything."

After the two of them had been looking at each other for a few seconds, Tamamo clapped her hands, causing them to jump. "Alright, lovebirds, that's enough flirting for today. Anyway, I need to stretch my legs once in a while, so why don't I show you around the village? One of the things that we're known for is our food, you simply can't leave here without trying it. And while you're here…"

Tamamo took both Mary's and Heinrich's hands in her own and pulled them with her in unbridled enthusiasm. The three of them walked through the village, giving the appearance of a strange yet happy family.


	10. Chapter 9: Back on the Road

**AN: This chapter marks the start of a new arc.**

 **UPDATE 20/11/18: Edited so that Mary is referred to by her birth name in the narration**

* * *

In the middle of a field, two warriors stood face to face.

Heinrich had his hand ready on his sword, his eyes never leaving his opponent.

His opponent was no less alert. She was a four-tailed Kitsune, dressed in a simple kimono designed for ease of movement. Sheathed in a wooden scabbard was her tsurugi, a straight double-edged sword.

The two of them gazed at each other for several seconds, scoping out any signs of weakness. Then they drew their swords and clashed.

Heinrich swung his sword with a speed that would have been unthinkable a few months ago. The Kitsune parried his attack and launched an attack of her own. But Heinrich didn't lose his balance, instead parrying the Kitsune's sword and attacking again.

They fought for almost a minute. Each clash filled the air with a metallic ring, for their swords were genuine steel, albeit without true edges. Heinrich parried nine out of ten attacks, but the remaining one in ten left shallow cuts on him. He was also able to land attacks on his opponent, but there were far fewer of them.

As the fight dragged on, Heinrich realised that he would definitely lose at this rate. He was fighting at full strength, quickly wearing himself out, yet the Kitsune showed no signs of fatigue. And there was a clear disparity in strength as well as stamina. Each clash of their swords sent tremors running up Heinrich's arms.

 _Trying to keep up with a monster in a physical contest is already unthinkable._ Heinrich thought. _If I'm going to have any chance of winning this…_ _I'll have to take a risk._

Heinrich focused his attention inward, towards his own body. He felt the blood surging through his veins, the heart that beat furiously to pump this blood, the muscles that contracted and relaxed to move his body.

 _More… more…_

Straining his mind to the limit, just barely managing to keep away the Kitsune's sword, Heinrich reached his goal. He felt the energy flowing through his body, the energy that humans did not normally sense. He reached inside and tried to grasp the energy, to shape it in the way he needed. It was a difficult task at the best of times, like scooping up water only for it to escape through one's fingers, but in the end, he succeeded.

His heart quickened, pumping blood at an even greater pace. His muscles burned energy even faster, bringing out a strength and speed that surpassed human capabilities. He had never done this outside of a dedicated training session before, so there was the risk of not paying attention to the outside world and getting hit by an attack that could otherwise avoided.

Heinrich swung his sword once more. With his increased strength, he managed to knock the Kitsune's sword back slightly. Heinrich didn't let that opportunity pass. He dashed forward into extreme close range. In theory, he was close enough that neither of them could swing their swords effectively. He planned to follow up with an elbow strike –

– then he felt a powerful impact to his stomach and collapsed. While gasping for breath on the ground, he looked back up at his victorious opponent.

"That wasn't a bad idea, but against a skilled fighter, it's not enough," the Kitsune said as she leaned down and pulled Heinrich back to his fight.

"Thank you, Izuna- _sensei_." Heinrich said. He wasn't that familiar with the Yamatai language yet, but he had picked up some of its conventions.

"You've managed to use ki to enhance your body during battle," Izune said proudly. "I knew you'd get it eventually."

Heinrich lowered his head in embarrassed happiness. He had never thought that he'd be able to use magic – or ki as the people of Yamatai called it – before. When he was growing up, he'd heard that humans needed to study for a lifetime to be able to use magic. However, in Yamatai he had learned that this principle only applied if a human wanted to use magic to affect the outside world. Using magic to enhance one's own body was much simpler. Indeed, he had been told that many elite human fighters used this limited form of magic, and this was how they were able to perform the incredible feats described in stories, like lifting boulders, running on the surface of water, and fighting while grievously wounded.

Raising his head, Heinrich said, "Thank you for the praise, Izuna- _sensei_. If it's alright with you, could we spar again?"

Izuna was about to answer, but she looked at something behind Heinrich and her ears twitched. She said, "Normally, I would agree, but it seems that your friend has other plans."

Heinrich turned around and saw that Mary was approaching. One thing that caught his eye was that she was wearing her travelling outfit again. In these past two months, she had taken the opportunity to experience Yamatai fashion, wearing a new outfit almost every week. She also carried both her staff and her travelling pack.

While waving her hand, Mary said, "Hello! Hope I'm not interrupting anything!"

"No, we've just finished sparring," Heinrich said. "So is it time to go?"

"Well, technically it is, but it's not like we have to leave urgently or anything," Mary said. "If you want to stick around for a few more days – "

"No, it's fine," Heinrich replied.

Mary looked Heinrich up and down and said, "You've really managed to get yourself roughed up, haven't you? Hold still just a sec – "

Mary waved her staff and the round crystal on the end started glowing with a gentle white light. Just looking at the light gave Heinrich a feeling of serenity. Then Mary chanted, "Spirit of life, heal his wounds," and the light floated from the crystal and entered Heinrich's body. The light wasn't solid, but Heinrich felt a wave of warmth spread rapidly through his body. The various small cuts on his body stopped bleeding and shrank until they were no more than thin pink lines, as if they'd had several weeks to heal.

After taking a step back to observe her handiwork, Mary said, "Sorry, I can still only manage this much. A proper white mage would be able to heal without even leaving any traces."

"No, you've done great," Heinrich said. "I still can't believe that you managed to learn so quickly."

Both of them had spent the past few months doing more than just playing around. Heinrich had trained under Yamatai swordmasters, causing his skills to advance by leaps and bounds. Mary, on the other hand, had opted to learn a new skill in white magic. According to herself, she had slept through her previous classes on white magic because she hadn't been interested. She now considered this an important skill to learn, as she could use it to: heal Heinrich whenever he got hurt, heal herself to avoid giving away her real identity, and to heal other people they came across.

Izuna cleared her throat to gather attention. She bowed towards Heinrich and said, "It's a pity that you must leave so soon, Heinrich- _san_. You have been an excellent student. Good luck on your journey."

Heinrich returned the bow. "The same to you, Izuna- _sensei_."

Heinrich parted with Izuna and walked off with Mary. They walked through the field and headed to the path leading out of the village. Along the way, Mary munched on a roll of sushi, a type of Yamatai cuisine, and talked excitedly about what she had gotten up to lately and everything she wanted to experience in the future.

Heinrich was just glad that she was able to talk normally again. A month ago, she had still been suffering from nightmares, waking up in the middle of the night and either screaming and crying. But thanks to the efforts of others, especially Tamamo, she was more or less back to normal.

Then Mary's face lit up with the clear sign of an idea. She said, "Hey, I just thought of something. Actually, two things. First, I've been going around with my real appearance, but that's just too much of a risk. I haven't run into any monsters who know me so far – it helps that this is the first time I've left Hellgondo – but I should actually disguise myself from now on."

Mary concentrated, and her features began to shift. In a matter of seconds, she had given herself dark brown hair, grey eyes, and a light spattering of freckles. Only someone who was extremely familiar with Mary would be able to recognise her now. Though, in Heinrich's opinion, she was still dazzlingly gorgeous – not that he would ever say that to her face.

After pulling out a mirror and checking her appearance, Mary said, "Okay, that should do. Now for the second thing: what should I call myself from now on?"

Heinrich blinked, then realised what she was talking about. While they were in the isolation of Yamatai Village, Mary had gone by her real name – though she'd still concealed her position – but that obviously couldn't be done in the outside world. He thought about it for a while and said, "Well, do you want to go back to the one before? 'Aliceto' – 'Mary'?"

Mary shook her head. "No, now that I think about it, that wasn't all that good of a name. Not only is it hard to say but nobody else has it, so it just stands out. I don't think I ever told you this before, but I literally came up with that name by combining the name of the Monster Lords with the name of a flower that happened to in sight."

 _That's… that's actually not that surprising, all things considered_ , Heinrich thought.

Mary spent some time thinking, then brightened up and said, "I've got it! Like I just said, I need a name that won't stand out, so there's no point in thinking of anything complicated."

"Okay, so what name are you thinking of?" Heinrich asked.

"'Alice'," Mary said simply.

Heinrich paused. He thought that he must have misheard her somehow, that she must have said something similar like 'Eris'. But he realised the truth and said, "Wait, what? Didn't you also just say that 'Alice' was the name of the Monster Lords? Don't you need to hide that part of your identity as well?"

"Yes, that's true, but think about it!" Mary said. "It's only a famous name among monsters. I'm still disguising myself as a human, and there are plenty of humans named 'Alice', aren't there?"

"Hmm… yeah, there are," Heinrich said. "But still, there are plenty of other ordinary names to choose from."

"But there's another reason for the name 'Alice'," Mary said. "Since it's what I'll be calling myself eventually, I may as well get used to it now. And – " Mary paused and looked away for some reason, " – and it would also be good for you to get used to it too, just – just in case we meet each other after that happens."

"Well, okay then," Heinrich said. "So then… let's continue our journey, Alice."

Mary beamed, a dazzling smile that left Heinrich lost for words. "Alright, let's go, Heinrich!"

She strode off, and Heinrich hurried to keep pace with her. This was easier than it was at the start of their journey, freeing up his mind to think of other things.

It was now the middle of August. After crossing the mountains back into the main Noah region, they planned on heading south. Assuming that nothing unexpected happened, they would make it to the Natalia region by the beginning of September. Heinrich couldn't wait to see what lay in store for them there.

After the Natalia region, they had two options: to cross the South Sea to the distant Ilias Continent, or to head northwest to reach the arid Safina region. Understandably, Mary had expressed her distaste for the former option, so it looked like the Safina region would be their next destination. Of course, that was a while in the future, and things could always change.

But then another, less pleasant thought entered his mind. He recalled a line from the recent conversation: "Since it's what I'll be calling myself eventually". It was easy to forget, given the way that Mary interacted with everyone regardless of their station, but she was royalty, and royalty of an entirely different species at that. Sure, right now she was travelling around the world under the guise of a commoner. But, in the end, she would return and take her throne, and be far removed from a nameless orphan like Heinrich.

The Heinrich of a few months ago wouldn't have cared that much. After all, everyone parted with each other, sooner or later. But now, there was a feeling inside him, a resistance to being away from her. The him of the past would have been repulsed by such feelings, but now?

Heinrich shook his head. There was no sense in dwelling on what could never be.

-ooo-

"Wake up, Lucifina."

These words were delivered in a clear and melodious voice, with an impression of holiness that no mortal could produce. If a human were to hear this voice, they would have prostrated themselves in awe. But the voice had no effect on the one it was directed towards.

Lying on a simple bed was an angel. She had light brown hair, blue eyes, a pair of white feathery wings on her back and a ring of golden light above her head. She was beautiful to a truly divine extent, with a face and figure that even master artists would struggle to replicate. This was only accentuated by her minimal clothing, which consisted of white ribbons wrapped around her body. Currently, she had her eyes closed and seemed to be sleeping.

The other person in the room narrowed her eyes. She bore a great resemblance to the one on the bed, with the same halo and wings and the same divine beauty. This was only natural, since they were, in a sense, sisters. She differed in that her hair was golden blonde and her clothing was green in colour, but otherwise they were almost identical. She raised her voice and said, "I know that you're awake, Lucifina. Stop this nonsense. We have important business."

Lucifina remained on the bed for a few more seconds, still feigning sleep. Then her eyes opened and she leapt out of bed, landing smoothly on her feet. Despite the sudden movement, the other angel did not even flinch. Lucifina raised her arms and yawned exaggeratedly, then said in a cheery voice, "Good morning, Micy! What's going on?"

The other angel didn't rise to the obvious provocation. She said, "It is the afternoon now. And I will not tolerate you using such nicknames. But, to answer your question, Goddess Ilias has requested your presence."

"What, again?" Lucifina said. "That's the third time this century. Just what does she want now, Micaela? Does she want me to cut up some monsters, give a hero the standard reward, or kiss her ass?"

Micaela's expression remained unchanged despite these words. Allowing only the slightest trace of steel to enter her voice, she replied, "She did not tell me. And you need to learn to respect our Goddess and creator."

Lucifina rolled her eyes. "There's this nice principle that humans have, which I think applies to this situation," she said. "I'll only respect her when she starts respecting me. You should follow it as well."

"I do not have time for this," Micaela said, turning towards the door. "Come."

She walked out of the room, and Lucifina followed her after a short pause.

The two of them walked through a series of hallways, all of which were lavishly decorated. The walls were made of polished marble. The floors were covered by soft red carpets, while chandeliers of the purest crystal hung from the ceiling. And of course, paintings and murals of the one true Goddess could be found everywhere, ensuring that all could behold her incredible visage at any time.

Visible out of the many windows was an absolutely breathtaking scenery. There was neither land nor sea, only an endless expanse of clouds. Many other buildings could be glimpsed among the clouds, and the tiny silhouettes of angels flitted among them. This was Heaven, the holy realm in the sky. However, to the two angels it was an ordinary sight, not worthy of any particular attention.

As they walked, the two of them passed by many other angels. Though these lesser angels had a halo and wings like Lucifina and Micaela, the presence they gave off was orders of magnitude weaker. This was only natural, for these were angels of the ninth and lowest order, while Lucifina and Micaela were of the first and highest order, the Seraphim. The lesser angels stopped and bowed as the two Seraphim passed. They showed respect towards Micaela, who returned the courtesy with polite nods… but towards Lucifina, they could not suppress their shivers of fear.

Lucifina had a bored look on her face. When there were no other angels in earshot, she said casually, "Hey, can I ask you something?"

Micaela hesitated for a moment. With a hint of resignation in her voice, she said, "What is it, Lucifina?"

"You know how angel names usually end in '-el', right?" Lucifina said. "To show that we're 'of Ilias' and all that. But the two of us are the first angels ever made, but our names _don't_ end in '-el'. Why is that?"

"I… I cannot say that I know the answer to that question," Micaela admitted. "I can only say that it is the will of Ilias that we have these names."

Lucifina rolled her eyes again at this answer. It was clear that this was far from the first time that she had heard it. She then let her hand drift down to her side, only to manifest a sword out of thin air. Faster than the eye could see, she thrust it at Micaela's face.

There was a metallic, bell-like clang, and Lucifina's sword was repelled by another one that Micaela had summoned in the same manner. Micaela glared at Lucifina, though without the burning hostility that she would direct towards a true enemy.

"For the hundredth time, Lucifina, cease this nonsense," Micaela said. "This is not the battlefield."

"Actually, this makes one hundred and thirteen times now," Lucifina said breezily. "Anyway, I'm just making sure you stay sharp. It's been far too long since we had a real battle after all."

Micaela's eyes hardened. She said, through gritted teeth, "Battle is not something to long for. It is something to be avoided at all costs. Remember that."

"Yeah, yeah," Lucifina said. She pulled her sword back and returned it to the pocket space where it was normally kept. Micaela did the same, and they continued walking.

As they neared their destination, they passed through a hallway with windows on one side, giving a view of the adjacent room. With nothing else to attract her attention, Lucifina casually looked into that room

It was one of the few rooms in the building to have both humans and angels. The humans here were those who had distinguished themselves with incredible acts of faith, giving them the right to be lifted to Heaven. The angels here had the duty of rewarding the humans for their faith… but not in the way that they expected.

Lucifina smirked at the sight. The human believers thought of angels as pure and innocent, their divine beauty being divorced from anything sexual. Those who were fortunate enough to reach Heaven found that nothing could be further from the truth. Some of them objected, often claiming that this must be Hell in disguise and refusing to give in to the temptations of what they thought to be monsters. But a taste of angelic flesh soon banished any objections.

Micaela stopped and turned to Lucifina, having clearly noticed something. She said, "What is it this time?"

Lucifina laughed. "Oh, I was just thinking about how, for all that we claim to be higher beings, we angels are just as horny as monsters in the end."

"What did you say?" Micaela said, barely suppressing her anger at this blasphemous insult. "You – ugh, there's no point in trying to change your ways at this point. Rewarding the faithful is one of our most sacred duties."

"Sure, sure, if that makes you feel better," Lucifina said. "But you know, I never understand _how_ anyone would think of us as pure and innocent. I mean, just look at these outfits!" Lucifina gestured towards her and Micaela's clothes. "You can't possibly convince me that no man ever looked at one of us and thought 'Oh, she's an angel! I definitely _don't_ want to - '" Lucifina paused, then added in an apologetic voice, "Sorry, I shouldn't have talked to you about this. I forgot that you don't have any experience to speak of."

Micaela flushed crimson. Shaking her fists, she retorted, "Wha – you're just as much a maiden as I am!"

Lucifina laughed. "Yeah, that's right. Millions of years old, and neither of us has ever gotten any. Isn't that funny? In your case, you're too serious and dedicated to the old bitch, while in my case…" Lucifina tilted her head. "In my case, I guess it's because my only love is in killing things. Unlike most angels, I'm only interested in cutting people to shreds and painting the earth with their blood." As she said this, she reminisced about the past and licked her lips.

Micaela covered her face with a hand and refused to speak any further.

Finally, they arrived at a set of double doors, which were so large that they reached the ceiling. Carved into the front of the doors was yet another depiction of the Goddess Ilias. It was extremely detailed, with even the individual strands of hair visible. Nothing less for the door to the Goddess' very chamber.

Micaela put her hands on the doors and, despite their size, pushed them open without any signs of effort. She entered the room and Lucifina followed her, stifling a yawn.

The room was the largest one in the entire building. Multiple average-sized houses could have fit inside it, with plenty of room to spare. The ceiling was made entirely out of countless sheets of stained glass, casting a dazzling array of coloured light onto the room. There was no furniture save for a huge throne in the very centre of the room.

Seated on the throne was none other than the Goddess Ilias, the embodiment of light itself, the self-proclaimed creator of everything in the world. In appearance, she was quite similar to Micaela, with blonde hair and blue eyes, but the atmosphere she gave off was on an entirely different level. Though she had a pair of feathered wings, like her angels, she lacked their distinctive halo. She wore a sleeveless white dress that was cut low in the front and slit to the hips, and had a pale purple sash wound around her arms. Jewellery of the purest gold adorned her head, neck, wrists and hips.

Standing next to Ilias was another Seraph. She had brown hair and, unlike the other two, four pairs of wings: three on her back and one smaller pair on her head. Unlike the others, she wasn't wearing anything. This was Eden, the third Seraph and the younger sister of Micaela and Lucifina.

The two occupants of the room reacted differently to the new arrivals. Ilias merely lifted her head slightly in acknowledgement of their presence, while the naked Seraph smiled and almost jumped in excitement. The latter hurried over and said giddily, "Oh, it's been so long! It's great to see you again!"

Lucifina forced a smile on her face, though most people would be able to recognise the disdain hiding behind it. She said, in a sickly-sweet voice, "It's _so_ nice to see you too, Eden. Did you enjoy the gift I sent you?"

"Yes!" Eden said, though her smile fell slightly. "But, um… did you really have to make it explode and squirt ink in my face when I opened it?"

"Why, of course I did!" Lucifina said. "It's all for your sake, to train you into being better at spotting deception."

"Cease this nonsense!" Micaela snapped. "Don't pretend that your cruel pranks are meant to help her in any way. And Eden, please don't believe everything she says."

Eden looked between her two older sisters, confused as to who she should listen to. Before the conversation could drag on any further, they were interrupted by a firm voice.

"Enough."

All three Seraphim, even Lucifina, turned towards the throne and kneeled.

"Lucifina," Ilias said. Even though her face and posture were relaxed, the Goddess exuded an undeniable authority. "What is your opinion of humans?"

Lucifina was confused by this question, for Ilias had never asked anything like it before.

Sensing her hesitation, Ilias added, "I want an honest answer. Speak as you please."

 _Well… if that's what she wants, might as well_ , Lucifina thought. Looking up into Ilias' eyes, she said, "I think humans are incredibly interesting. Certainly, on average, they are far weaker than us angels or even monsters. Their lives are short – even if they don't fall to injury or sickness, they die in just a handful of decades. But despite that – no, because of that, they have a special trait of their own."

"Oh! You mean how, because of their short lives, they're passionate and driven to…" Eden interjected, excitedly at first, though she then wilted under the harsh gaze of Ilias.

"That's an interesting idea… but no, I was thinking of something _completely_ different," Lucifina said. "As I was saying, humans have a special trait that distinguishes them from angels. Unlike us, they are honest about their natures."

Ilias merely raised an eyebrow in response. She said, "That seems an odd thing to consider interesting."

"Then allow me to explain," Lucifina said. "When a human wants something owned by another, whether it's food they need to avoid starving or a sack of gold they want out of greed, they simply take it. When they want someone else dead, they stab that person and leave them to choke on their own blood. When they want pleasure, they either find a whore or, again, simply take what they want. They don't pretend to be pure beings, devoid of base desires."

When Lucifina made this speech, the other three all had a different reaction. Micaela glared at her, partly out of disbelief that she would be so brazen to the Goddess' face. Eden had a questioning look, suggesting that she hadn't even managed to pick up the meaning of Lucifina's words. And Ilias maintained the same neutral expression as before… something that unsettled Lucifina far more than any obvious emotion would have.

Eventually, Ilias nodded, seemingly satisfied. She said, "It is an honest answer, which is all I asked for. That brings me to the reason I summoned you. I have a task for you, one that will entail your spending significant lengths of time on the surface world, among humans."

This was a surprise to Lucifina. "Are you certain about this, your Holiness?" she asked. "I believe that there are other angels, those with experience f – _interacting with_ humans, who would be more suited to the task."

"Not for this kind of task," Ilias replied. "This requires someone of your particular… demeanour."

With that, Lucifina understood. She was reminded of the Great Monster Wars – a time of tragedy for most, but for her it was the last time she had felt truly alive. Back then, each of the three Seraphim had gained a unique reputation.

Micaela had been the shining hero. She had the power to fight against the elites of the monsters, the tactical and strategic knowledge to command an army in any situation, and the charisma to inspire her allies to fight against overwhelming odds. Every angel knew of her feats, like the time she had held a city against a seemingly endless army of monsters that had even been led by two of the Six Ancestors.

Eden had been the loyal servant of Ilias. While there were fewer tales about her, that was simply because she had remained steadfastly by her Goddess' side for most of the war. The few times that she had taken to the field, she had proven herself to be a match for any one of the Six Ancestors.

And Lucifina? She had been the butcher. No angel, not even her sisters, had killed as many monsters as she had. It was said that the blood she had spilled could fill an entire lake. Her epithet, "Daystar", inspired dread in angels as well as monsters. Moreover, she had never hesitated when it came to violence. Whenever they found a village where humans and monsters lived in peace and tried to stay out of the war, it was Lucifina's duty to handle them. While many of her fellows would have tried to spare the humans, believing that they might be convinced to repent for their sins, Lucifina had simply killed them all.

"Well, if that is your desire, I shall do my utmost to follow it," Lucifina said. Speaking in such a polite and formal manner made her want to vomit her entrails out, but she persevered. Even she knew better than to anger someone who, for all of her faults, undoubtedly merited the title of Goddess.

"Thank you for accepting," Ilias said. She smiled, an expression that would have caused most humans to faint from excessive joy. But to Lucifina, it simply increased her sense of revulsion.

"Now then, allow me to explain the context for this task of yours. The current Monster Lord has been acting oddly as of late. She has ordered her daughter to do something truly perplexing, and I would have you find out more."

-ooo-

Heinrich watched the boiling contents of the pot carefully. Beside him, Mary was drooling and barely able to hold on any longer.

Finally, from the wafting aroma and the colour of the rabbit stew, Heinrich decided that dinner was ready. The moment he made that announcement, the future Monster Lord _pounced_. She scooped up a bowlful with incredible speed, somehow without spilling any, and began wolfing it down.

"Mmm! Amazing!" Mary managed to get out these words, still without spilling or spitting out anything.

Heinrich laughed as he used a ladle to fill his own bowl. Being able to carry around heavy equipment like this large iron pot was one of the perks of having a space-warping magical cabinet. In fact, this pot was one of the things that Mary had packed right from the beginning of her journey, but she had forgotten about it until recently. She had only found it again while she was rummaging through the cabinet for something else.

Today, they had crossed the river that marked the border between the Noah and Natalia regions just before setting up camp for the night. Having never been outside of his country of birth before, Heinrich was giddy at the thought of what they would encounter next.

His thoughts then turned to the past. During their time in Yamatai, Mary had contacted her mother the Monster Lord using telepathic magic. The concept of instant communication across such a long distance had sounded incredible to Heinrich, yet she had treated it as something normal. Anyway, Mary had explained everything to her mother, revealing all of the sordid details. The response had surprised both of them: the Monster Lord had told her that she was doing well and to continue her journey, and to leave the issue in Plansect Village to her.

After some discussion, they had worked out the probable reasons for this response. While Heinrich had no personal experience with being a leader, he did have a decent amount of experience with the darker side of humanity. It was easy for him to imagine that a leader, human or monster, would need to be able to make difficult decisions. It was therefore likely that Alice VII may have expected such an incident to occur and for her daughter to learn from it. Said daughter hadn't been happy at this conclusion, even if she now understood the reasons for it, breaking a tea cup in her hand and letting out an imaginative array of expletives.

After leaving Yamatai, they had headed south, passing by the enormous forest that lay in the middle of the Noah region. Plansect Village lay somewhere within its depths, but a group of plant monsters at the edge had warned them not to enter the forest because of the current tension. They did, however, reveal that the Monster Lord had visited several weeks before, something that had clearly been shocking to them. It seemed that the Monster Lord had made use of her daughter's information, delivering judgement to all those connected to the kidnappers and taking their captives to the Monster Lord's Castle for rehabilitation.

Heinrich was troubled by the fact that mother and daughter hadn't decided to meet each other, despite being apart for several months. Mary described her mother to be a failure as a parent, though she was now beginning to grudgingly admit that she was at least competent at her job. However, Heinrich couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to it.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Mary finishing off the last of her stew. As usual, she had finished eating first even though she had the lion's share of the meal. She cleared her throat and said, "I'd like to talk about what we'll be doing next. Do you want to finish first, or – "

"No, it's fine, go ahead," Heinrich answered.

"Okay, so the first place we'll be going to is the Forest of Spirits, which is close to the border," Mary said rapidly. "It's home to fairies and elves, which you haven't seen yet, but also a lot of wind spirits. And among those wind spirits is the Great Spirit of Wind, Sylph. From what I've heard, Sylph is worshipped by many people in the Noah region, and they even have an annual festival for her, the Sylph Festival. It's kind of like the monster worship we saw in Yamatai. Though I've also heard that Sylph isn't an ordinary monster, but is the – what were the words again? – the elemental embodiment of the wind itself."

Heinrich wasn't fully able to keep up with this barrage of words. He seized on the part that he understood the least and asked, "Wait, what's an 'elemental embodiment'?"

"That's – hmm…" Mary said, holding her chin in thought. "To answer that, first I need to explain what elements are. Basically, the elements are the basic things that make up the world. Everything in this world is made up of one or more elements mixed together in some way. Though, confusingly, people have come up with two ways of classifying them."

Mary raised her hand. She performed a series of gestures, and there was a small breeze, then a group of pebbles floated up for a few seconds, then droplets of water coalesced into a small translucent ball, then a small flame, then a mass of what could only be described as shadow, and finally a tiny glimmer of white light. "The first system of elements has the four elements of the material world and the two of the spiritual world. The four material ones are easy to understand, they're wind, earth, water and fire. As an example, a person's body has all of these: it's made from earth and water, it takes in and lets out air by breathing, and it burns food for energy. The two spiritual elements are darkness and light. Darkness is found in monsters, while light is found in angels and their goddess. Got it so far?"

Heinrich nodded, and Mary continued. She repeated her previous demonstration, but this time in a different order and with more elements. She conjured up flame again, now followed by a chunk of ice, then generated a miniature bolt of lightning, then conjured wind, earth, water, light and darkness. "The second system is confusing to explain. It actually has all the same elements as the first one, but with another two added: ice and lightning. Fire, ice and lightning are grouped together and called the magical elements, while wind, earth and water are grouped separately and called the natural elements. Darkness and light are still treated as above the rest, though.

"And, finally, an elemental embodiment is a being who _is_ a particular element. Technically, all spirits of an element could be called embodiments of it, but usually the word is used for the Great Spirit of an element. Oh, forgot to mention, spirits are beings who are made completely or almost completely of one element. Most spirits are small and weak and are basically animals. However, the Four Great Spirits are as intelligent as us, will never die, and are incredibly powerful. In the case of Sylph, she _is_ all of the wind in the world, and all of the wind in the world is her."

Upon hearing this description, Heinrich imagined something along the lines of a living, intelligent tornado. He then realised that it was a silly concept, especially since someone like that would have destroyed any forest in no time.

She must have noticed his thoughts, because Mary giggled and continued, "Well, while she is certainly a very powerful monster, from what I've heard she's also really friendly. So there's nothing to worry about."

Heinrich finished off the remaining stew in his bowl and thought for a bit. He said, "You mentioned that there are Four Great Spirits – so I'm guessing that the other three are for the other three – what did you call them – material elements?"

"Yes, that's right," Mary said. "They are: Gnome, the Spirit of earth; Undine, the Spirit of water; and Salamander, the Spirit of fire. There's one of them in each of the four regions of the Sentora Continent. In fact, Undine is right here in the Noah region, at a spring that's not far from Grand Noah. Though, well… she isn't the most sociable of people, from what I've heard, so I decided not to try visiting her." Mary then let out a breath. "Hah… I haven't tried explaining magical theory like this since – well, I've _never_ tried explaining this to someone else before. If you got even half of it, that's better than I expected."

"No, I actually understood pretty much all of it," Heinrich said. "That's another thing you've gotten better at. You should be proud of yourself."

Mary turned her head away. In the flickering light of the fire, Heinrich couldn't quite catch the expression on her face. Mary said, "…Thanks."

After all this conversation, they decided to retire for the night. Heinrich had the first watch. He took out a knife and wood and spent the time practicing his woodcarving. He had improved quite a bit from when he'd first started, now working on a crude figure of a stag.

 _And… done_ , Heinrich thought, inspecting his handiwork. _The antlers could use a little more work, but they're at least symmetrical. Now for something different… maybe a person?_

Heinrich glanced at the sleeping Mary, watching her chest rise and fall. He imagined himself devoting all his spare time trying to reproduce her appearance, to try and replicate each strand of brilliant hair, each flawless curve…

He shook his head vigorously. In an attempt to take his mind off the awkward topic, he thought about the place that they would be visiting tomorrow.

-ooo-

The next morning, they packed up and set off. In just a few hours, they had reached their destination.

The Forest of Spirits had a unique atmosphere. Heinrich had seen many different kinds of forests so far, yet he couldn't help but feel unsettled by the one before him. The trees grew close together, not so closely as to make it difficult to walk through, but close enough that it was impossible to see any great distance inside the forest. The sounds of birds and other animals were present, but there was something slightly off about them.

Heinrich remembered a monster story that had been told to him when he was young. It claimed that fairies and elves were malicious pranksters, who would sneak into human villagers and cause all manner of strife. They would wipe out crops with blight, cause animals to attack humans, even steal human infants and replace them with their own. These fairy infants, or changelings as they were called, would be a lethal burden on their human caretakers, while the kidnapped human infants would be transformed into fairies if female or used as sex slaves if male.

Of course, Heinrich now knew that such stories were false. But when combined with the eerie atmosphere of the Forest of Spirits, he couldn't stop himself from shivering.

Mary looked at Heinrich and said, "Don't worry, there shouldn't be anything dangerous here. Even if there is, you'll be safe as long as you're with me."

Heinrich thanked her, but on the inside he couldn't help but feel… inadequate. He thought of what little he could do after all his training, and compared it to what he had seen Mary accomplish without breaking a sweat. He knew that it was absurd to try and compare himself to a future Monster Lord, but he would settle for being strong enough to at least not need protection.

 _But how long will that take?_ Heinrich thought.

Suddenly, Mary turned around. Heinrich turned as well, and spotted someone approaching.


	11. Chapter 10: Forest of Spirits

**AN: Due to RL issues, it might be take longer than usual for my next update.**

 **UPDATE 20/11/18: Edited so that Mary is referred to by her birth name in the narration**

* * *

Mary wondered who the person approaching was. From the sound of their footsteps, they seemed to be human-sized and to walk on two legs. And from the fact that they were approaching the Forest of Spirits, she could guess that they had some kind of business with its inhabitants, but that still left plenty of possibilities. Moreover, they were downwind of Mary, so she couldn't pick up their smell.

Then they came over the hill, and Mary was filled with confusion.

The newcomer was clearly a monster, but Mary wasn't sure what race she was. She had purple skin and flame-red hair that reached down to her waist. A pair of short conical horns sat atop her head. The horns and her generally humanoid shape suggested that she was a succubus, but she didn't have wings or a tail – and succubus horns tended to be curved. Finally, she wore a long white coat, dark pants and travelling boots.

 _Hold on a second_ , Mary thought. _If I remember correctly, this kind of appearance is_ –

The strange monster spotted them and her face lit up. She approached with a springing step that seemed oddly familiar to Mary. But before either of them could greet her, the strange monster tripped over a rock.

Heinrich stepped forward, clearly planning on catching her. With her vastly superior speed and reflexes, Mary could have pre-empted him, but a thought came to her mind.

 _Heinrich has been feeling down lately, and it seems to be because he's not feeling useful. In that case, maybe I should let him handle this at least._

With that in mind, she hung back. That was, in hindsight, a poor decision.

While stumbling, the strange monster somehow managed to trip over her own feet. She became entangled with Heinrich and together they fell over, her large chest right on top of his face. She muttered "Ow, ow, ow…"

Mary froze. The double instance of clumsiness had been so unexpected that she hadn't reacted properly, leading to the current bizarre situation.

"What the – get off him!" Mary shouted. She pulled the strange monster to her feet, employing perhaps a _little_ more force than was strictly necessary.

Heinrich remained on the ground for a second, but quickly got up as well, blushing furiously and unable to meet Mary's eyes.

After brushing herself off, the strange monster lowered her head. "Umm, I'm so sorry!" she said. "I'm a bit – well, very clumsy, and it doesn't help that I'm often in a rush, which is why people keep telling me to slow down, but I keep forgetting to – "

"Wait, wait, it's fine, it was just an accident," Heinrich said quickly. "I – I'm not hurt or anything."

"Really? That's a relief. Again, I'm sorry," the strange monster said. "Wait, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Akame Artiste, and I'm a succubus."

 _So I was right after all_ ¸ Mary thought. _She's part of that family. Why didn't she just say that right from the start!? Why – wait, why am I so mad?_

Mary and Heinrich introduced themselves – the former still brimming with an unexpected feeling of anger – and then they learned what this strange succubus was doing here.

"So to start with, my family is known for being experts in the dark arts – necromancy, spiritualism and puppeteering," Akame said. "In fact, we're actually official entertainers for the Monster Lord – not that humans would know that, I guess."

Now Mary remembered. Some of the Artiste family had actually come to the Monster Lord's Castle to put on a performance. That had been over ten years ago, explaining why she hadn't recognised Akame immediately.

"Anyway, that's what my family's interested in," Akame continued. "Me? I'm actually more interested in living things, rather than dead things. I'm interested in ecology – that is, the study of how living things interact with each other and with the world around them. Right now, I'm looking at how herbivory by insects affects organic matter decomposition, and in turn nutrient cycling, in the forest ecosystem."

Mary didn't understand even half of these words. From the look on his face, Heinrich was no different. In fact, Mary doubted that her mother or sister would have understood what Akame was talking about.

"So that's why you've come to this forest?" Heinrich said. "It… sounds like an interesting topic."

"I know, right!?" Akame said excitedly, showing no signs of noticing their confusion. "According to the current literature, forest nutrient cycles are mainly driven by large herbivores, like deer. But I just _know_ that insects play a much bigger role than people think. They live up in the forest canopy, so they're not as well-studied as the fauna of the forest floor, but insects are incredibly abundant, and if my theories are right, they change what reaches the forest floor in all sorts of ways – "

Akame continued in this vein for almost a minute. Mary and Heinrich were even more lost than before, but did their best to seem interested.

Once Akame had finally finished, Mary said, "So basically, you're a scholar who's here to study the – the ecology of this forest." When the succubus nodded, Mary continued, "In that case, why don't we travel together? We also have business in the Forest of Spirits – or would that be a bother to you?"

"No!" Akame said. Then she realised that this might be misinterpreted and corrected herself, "No, that wouldn't be a bother at all! I'd love the company! I don't usually get the chance to talk to people outside my family!"

There was a brief but awkward silence. It was eventually broken by Heinrich, who said, "Umm, don't take this the wrong way, but – I didn't really understand what you were talking about just now. I think that might be why you don't – well – "

This blunt honesty was only a minor surprise to Mary. She remembered how, when they had first met, Heinrich had been frank about how strange her previous pseudonym was. And during their time in Yamatai, he had become better at social interactions. Hopefully, he'd improve further in the future.

Akame blinked in surprise at these words. She said, "Well, come to think of it… the few times I talked to someone outside my family, they usually said that they had something else to do, and I – and I never heard from them again."

Akame looked dejected, almost to the point of crying. Heinrich started panicking, so Mary quickly stepped in. She said, "Well, everyone makes mistakes, but we can learn from them! We can give you a hand with that."

After some more coaxing, she managed to cheer Akame up. The three of them finally entered the forest.

Despite the forest's reputation, they didn't encounter any fairies or elves at first. Presumably they preferred to stick to the interior of the forest.

This gave Akame the opportunity to gush over all of the insects she found. Whenever she saw a colourful butterfly flapping through the air or a large horned beetle sitting on a log, she would stop, pull out a magical quill and paper and start writing notes on their behaviour, and finally pull out a glass vial to capture the insect in. This was notable because of where she pulled the equipment from: lacking a bag or pockets, she instead used space-time magic to pull them out of a pocket dimension. The incredible precision of this magic was astounding to Mary – in all likelihood, Akame was better in this field than her.

Because of that, they moved at a much slower pace than expected. On the other hand, it did give Akame a chance to learn how to speak more… comprehensibly.

" – so a lot of people just think of insects as being just a few types – ants in general, bees in general, and so on – but that couldn't be further from the truth," Akame said. "As an example, take these two caterpillars I've got here." She held up the insects in their vials. "This one here is green, like a leaf, so it blends in easily and is hard for predators like birds to spot. On the other hand, this one has red and black stripes, and you'd think these bright and contrasting colours would make it easy to spot, and that part's true, but they also act as a warning to predators that this caterpillar is poisonous."

"It's poisonous?" Heinirch repeated. "I've seen caterpillars like this before, but I never knew about that."

"Mm, and the reason why they're brightly-coloured is so that predators know not to eat them," Akame said. "After all, if they looked the same as this green caterpillar over here, any predator that did find them wouldn't hesitate to eat them. They'd spit them out quickly, of course, since poisonous things generally taste bad, but that doesn't mean that the caterpillar's any less dead."

Normally, Mary should have been happy at helping the two of them socialise. But, for some reason, she couldn't shake off her mysterious yet unmistakeable irritation. It wasn't the first time either: she remembered feeling the same whenever Heinrich had been friendly with other monsters in Yamatai.

 _What is going on with me?_ Mary thought. _Don't tell me – don't tell me that I've gotten used to the idea of having him dependent on me, and – and I'm feeling this way because I don't want that to stop?_

At that moment, Akame rushed off again, heading towards a huge spider that sat in an equally-huge web. But just before she reached it, she fell abruptly.

 _Wait, did her clumsiness strike again?_ Mary thought. _Better go help her up – huh?_

When she got closer, Mary saw that it wasn't just an act of clumsiness. Akame had her leg stuck in a hole that was too perfectly formed to have occurred naturally. The leaves and sticks around it also smelled slightly different from those in the surroundings, suggesting that it was a pitfall trap. And at the same time, she heard a sound that was distinct from the usual sounds of the forest. When she focused her attention, she realised that it was the high-pitched giggling of countless people, coming from all directions.

Mary looked around and called out, "I know you're there, come out!"

There was some more giggling. Then the fairies exploded out of the bushes. They resembled teenage girls or young women, but shrunken to the point that they could sit in the palm of Mary's hand. They had the antennae and transparent wings of insects, and wore dresses dyed in natural colours and woven from plant fibres. And, just like the butterflies they resembled, they flitted about constantly, never staying still.

One fairy, who had green hair and an expression of mischief that was even greater than that of her peers, boldly flew closer to them. She said, "Teehee, how did you like that? We put a lot of work into making sure that our traps can't be found easily!"

Mary couldn't help but put her hand on her face. If there was one thing that fairies loved to do, it was playing pranks on others.

Heinrich helped Akame pull her leg out of the trap. The succubus seemed unsure of how to handle so many people at once, so Heinrich was the one to ask the fairies, "Wait, you just set up traps like that where anyone can get caught in them?"

"That's right!"

"Lots and lots of them!"

"Isn't it funny?"

The fairies' words were a seemingly-nonstop barrage that came from all directions. Heinrich seemed a little lost on who to respond to, but he continued, "That's – that's not right. People could get hurt."

"Don't worry about that!"

"We always stick around to watch!"

"Nobody gets hurt!"

"But it would still be better if you didn't set these traps in the first place," Heinrich said. "It's inconvenient for people who want to visit your forest, like us."

The fairies didn't take too kindly to being contradicted. The one who had spoken up first, who seemed to be the leader of the group, said indignantly, "Grr, you can't tell us what to do! Now you've spoiled the fun!"

The fairy pulled out a tiny wand, one that could be mistaken for a large splinter, and the others followed suit. With concerted waves of their wands, they conjured up a growing mass of wind, one powerful enough to make the branches of the trees whip about furiously.

Mary had been holding back until now, but she couldn't do that any longer. She stepped forward, pulling Heinrich and Akame behind her, and thrust out her staff. By concentrating the energy of the earth in the staff's tip, she was able to disrupt the fairies' spell and disperse the mass of wind.

The fairies were stunned, but only for an instant. They scattered and attempted to flee into the bushes. With their small size and incredibly agility, they would have been impossible for most humans or monsters to catch.

Of course, Mary wasn't like most monsters. She held her staff up vertically and then flicked the tip towards herself, creating a miniature gale that sucked the lead fairy back into reach. She caught the fairy in her hand while taking care not to damage her wings. She held the fairy for a couple of seconds, just long enough for her to realise what had happened, then let her go.

The fairy looked surprised at being released and didn't try to escape. Her friends also stopped their escape, though they remained at a safe distance.

Mary thought back to her previous experiences with fairies. Once she had thought of what to say, she began, "Okay, there's no need to resort to violence just because you're in an argument. Did your mothers bring you up to behave like this?"

The fairies hung their heads in shame. From what Mary knew, fairies tended to strike out on their own at an early age. Because of their love of freedom, fairy children couldn't stand being under the yoke of authority for any longer than necessary, and their mothers didn't try to keep them at home. This was why they were childish even as adults, spending their days playing pranks on each other. However, they still had the same fundamental set of values as other people.

The lead fairy said, "No, they didn't teach us to be like that. We're… we're sorry, we shouldn't have done that."

Mary smiled and was about to reply, but she heard the sound of someone else approaching. It wasn't just anyone, either – the way the footsteps were slightly too loud reminded Mary of the beast monsters she had encountered before, specifically of how they had deliberately advertised their presence.

An elf walked into sight. She was virtually identical to a human woman, with fair skin and shoulder-length blonde hair, except for her long pointed ears. She wore a short dress designed for mobility and of a mottled green that blended in well with the forest. A short bow and a quiver of arrows were hung over her shoulders. Said weapon wasn't pointed at them, which was a good sign. She was looking at them warily, however.

The elf observed the situation, notably sighing when she looked at the pitfall trap. She then turned to Mary's group and said, "Don't tell me – did the fairies catch you in one of their traps?"

"That's true, but we've actually sorted that out already," Mary replied.

The elf let out a long-suffering sigh. "I thought so. I sensed the casting of wind magic from afar and thought it was the fairies, but – well, I guess I was hoping that they hadn't done it yet again." She ran a hand through her hair in frustration, then continued, "Sorry, I should have introduced myself. My name is Fiara, and I'm one of the rangers who patrol this forest. How can I help you?"

Mary and her friends introduced themselves and explained their reasons for being here. The surrounding fairies had forgotten their fear by now – fairies had fast-paced minds that could go through a dozen emotions in a minute – and they started chattering excitedly about this new information.

Fiara nodded and said, "Alright, I'll take you to Sylph. She hasn't had visitors for a few months – which is a long time by her standards – and would like the company. Follow me."

The three of them followed the elf deeper into the forest. The fairies accompanied them at first, but one by one they became interested in other things and drifted away. By the time they reached their destination, there were only half a dozen of them remaining.

Along the way, Mary talked to Fiara and learned that this was far from the first time that Sylph had received human visitors. In fact, some of her visitors came all the way from San Ilia, the capital of Ilias' faith!

This led to Mary thinking about monster-human relations more generally. When they had met, Akame had seen nothing wrong with walking up and talking to them. Similarly, the fairies and Fiara hadn't been surprised at seeing a monster alongside (what they thought to be) two humans. Mary had heard how things were much better outside of the Noah region, but they were looking even better than she had expected.

They came to a clearing. Mary noticed something odd, and soon after so did Heinrich and Akame. Elsewhere in the forest, the wind was never stronger than a mild breeze, but here a number of powerful gusts were constantly colliding, stirring up leaves and filling the air with a continuous howl. Probably, the strong wind was the reason for the lack of trees, by killing any growing saplings.

Floating in the centre of the clearing was another fairy, but one with a presence that overshadowed all the others. Her long and untidy hair, dress, gloves, shoes and wings were all varying shades of green. Despite being in the conflux of the winds, she wasn't blown about at all, remaining in perfect control. Without a doubt, this was the Great Spirit of Wind, Sylph.

When she saw the approaching group, a huge smile appeared on Sylph's tiny face. In the blink of an eye, she zoomed over to them and called out, "Hello! I felt you coming on the wind and it's been so long since I got visitors and I just – " She suddenly started coughing, but recovered after a few seconds and continued, "Anyway, make yourselves comfortable! I want to hear everything you've been up to!"

 _It's like – it's like meeting Akame all over again_ , Mary thought.

Fiara excused herself and departed, leaving Mary and her group with Sylph and the remaining fairies. Sylph directed the three of them to a series of stumps which they then sat on.

One by one, the visitors explained their experiences to the residents of the forest. Naturally, Mary kept the important parts of her identity secret, and she and Heinrich also avoided the topic of what had happened just before Yamatai Village.

In the process, they also learned more about Akame. She was an only child, and thus was under a lot of pressure from her mother to follow the traditional path of the Artiste family. She had struck out on her own in an attempt to prove that her preferred field of study was worthwhile. This was something that resonated deeply with Mary.

Sylph buzzed around excitedly as she listened, filled with a seemingly-infinite energy. She never looked bored at anything they said, even showing interest in Akame's collection of insects.

One the three of them had explained everything to her, Sylph clapped her hands and said, "Oh, how exciting! Damn, I wish I could see stuff like that!"

"Well then, couldn't you go out and see them for yourself?" Heinrich asked. "Or is it that you're the leader of this forest, and so you have to stay here?"

"Mmm… not quite," Sylph replied. "It's not that I'm allowed to leave here, but… how do I explain this? There's a lot of long words involved, this is something that Deeny would be better off explaining… Well, to keep it simple, because I'm _the_ spirit of wind, I can't go outside this forest for too long. This forest is filled with the power of wind, so it's nice and comfortable for me, like water for a fish. If I go outside, I get a lot weaker, and I can only stay outside for a few days at most before I have to come back. There's only one way for me to stay outside this forest for long is – " Sylph's eyes fell on Heinrich. She blinked, then suddenly shouted, "Hey, will you make a contract with me!?"

This startled Mary and the others. After a few moments, Mary remembered something that she had previously read and said, "Wait, if I remember correctly, you can make contracts with humans to lend them your power?"

"That's right!" Sylph said. "It's something that all spirits can do. Basically, we can change ourselves into a form that's pure energy and go into a human's body. It only works with humans, not with monsters – I can't really remember why, but I think it has to do with two sources of dark energy not being able to exist in the same body. Or something like that. Anyway, when we're inside a human, we're protected from the outside world. I've had a few contractors before now, and each time I was able to see all sorts of interesting things. So, what do you think?"

Mary mentally reviewed the books she had read in Yamatai about the use of spirits by humans. There were a subset of human mages called summoners, who could infuse other humans with lesser spirits to give them power comparable to the average monster. Even the Four Great Spirits could empower humans in this way, but because of their power and intelligence they formed proper contracts with humans unlike their lesser kin. However, there were never any records of monsters being able form a contract with a Great Spirit. It was hypothesised that this was because the Four Great Spirits were also monsters, being composed of dark energy in addition to their respective elemental energy, and so they would be rejected by the body of another monster.

However, Mary then noticed something odd. She was currently disguised as a human, yet Sylph had only considered Heinrich as a possible option for her contractor. True, her power would benefit him much more than it would Mary, but how would Sylph know about that?

Heinrich looked uncertain about the offer. It was no wonder – even if he was more accepting of monsters than he had been a few months ago, it was another thing entirely to let one possess his body. He said, "I'm sorry, but I'm not sure about that. Um… first of all, what kind of effects would this have on my body?"

"There won't be anything like that!" Sylph said confidently. "I'm perfectly okay to have around! And on top of that, I can give you all sorts of awesome powers. I can let you control the wind, I can let you move a hundred times faster, and if you get good enough at using my power, I might even be able to let you fly!"

Mary thought that this was a good idea. Heinrich had been worrying about falling behind lately, and the power of the spirit was one option to rectify that.

Heinrich spent some time considering this. Eventually, he said, "Okay, I will."

Sylph rocketed into the air, screaming with joy all the way. She zoomed back down to eye level and said, "Thank you, thank you! This'll be amazing for both of us, I promise!" Sylph took a few deep breaths, cleared her throat, and continued in a slightly more formal tone, "Thank you. But first, I need to make sure that you're able to handle my power. It wouldn't be alright to give the power of the wind to someone who couldn't use it, after all."

"Okay then, how are you planning on testing me?" Heinrich asked.

"Before I answer that, I need us to be alone first," Sylph said, turning to Mary and Akame. "Sorry about this, but can you leave this clearing for a minute? The test is something I want to keep a secret. Don't worry, it shouldn't take too long, and I won't hurt him, I promise."

The two of them agreed. They left the clearing and headed out into the forest until there were enough trees to completely obscure their view of the clearing.

Once they had settled down, Akame said, "I haven't experienced so much excitement since – since – well, since as long as I can remember."

"That's one of the advantages of going out and trying new things," Mary replied with a smile.

Akame looked around at the forest, seeming satisfied. She then said, "I went along with the flow, but are you sure about leaving Heinrich by himself? You seemed pretty confident in him."

"You could say that," Mary said, feeling slightly embarrassed. "When you go through life with someone else, you tend to pick up confidence in their abilities."

"So does that mean you're – oh!" Akame began to reply, only to spot yet another insect on a nearby log and hurry towards it, vial in hand.

 _Another one?_ Mary thought. _But what was she about to say. From the context… no, it couldn't be, there's no way we give off that impression to others. It's just not possible._

After catching the insect, Akame brought it over for Mary to see. She said, "Look, it's a nice and large cricket, of a species that I've never seen before."

Mary froze.

"A lot of people don't know the difference between a cricket and a cricket, but it's actually really easy to tell them apart," Akame continued, not noticing Mary's reaction. "Grasshopppers have short antennae, whereas crickets have long antennae, sometimes longer than the rest of their bodies. Also, crickets have – "

Mary quickly put a hand on a tree trunk to keep herself upright. Her breathing quickened, while a series of images flashed through her mind. The words of the ecologically-minded succubus sounded faint and distant.

-ooo-

Now that he was alone in the clearing with Sylph, Heinrich felt even more nervous than before. Sylph hadn't shown any reason for him to distrust her, and Mary had approved of this as well, but it was still difficult for him to calm down.

Heinrich let out a deep breath. He reminded himself of his goal: to be able to pull his own weight. He didn't expect to be able to equal Mary, but he needed to gain at least the power to take care of himself.

At the same time, there was a desire within him, one that everyone had at some point in their lives: the desire to be special. Heinrich imagined himself speeding through the air on a gust of wind, moving as freely as an eagle. Who wouldn't want that?

 _Well, I doubt that I'll be doing anything on that level right away_ , Heinrich thought. _Still, it's nice to dream about._

Sylph cleared her throat, gaining Heinrich's attention. She said, "Okay, are you ready?"

Heinrich clenched and unclenched his fist several times, letting out some of the tension in his body.

"Okay, I'm ready."

Sylph nodded, then assumed a serious expression. "First of all, I will test your mind!" She declared. "Only someone with a sharp mind can hope to use my power properly!"

Heinrich felt a slight sense of unease. It was the kind of test that often appeared in stories. If he was being honest, he wasn't the kind of person who would be able to pass such a test… but this concern proved unfounded.

"Okay, what's thirty times seven?" Sylph asked, still in the same serious tone as before.

Heinrich blinked. He thought he must have misheard the question horribly. There was no way that a test of intelligence could possibly be this simple. Perhaps the real test was to see if he could figure out that this was a trick?

"Hehe, it's a tough one, right?" Sylph said confidently. "Don't worry, I'll give you as long you need to work it out!"

"…Isn't it two hundred and ten?" Heinrich said tentatively.

"Th-that fast?" Sylph said, reeling back in shock. "It's a three digit number, there's no way you could have – "

Sylph descended to the ground and started scratching in the soft soil. From what Heinrich could discern from her tiny numbers, she was calculating the problem step by step.

"You're… right?" Sylph said. "But - don't tell me you're a genius at math?"

Heinrich remained silent. He didn't want to say that everyone in his village, save for the youngest children, could have done the same calculation and with at least as much ease. After all, basic mathematics was a vital skill for all kinds of occupations. Even a supposedly-simple farmer needed to know how much produce they had to sell to make a profit.

Shaking her head rapidly, Sylph continued, "D-don't think that they'll all be this easy! For my second question, name ten kinds of flower!"

"Ten?" Heinrich asked, still having trouble believing what he'd heard. "Uh: rose, lily, tulip, dahlia, dandelion, magnolia, daisy, begonia, buttercup, amaranth…"

Heinrich was no expert on flowers, but again, even he could manage this much. If it had been twenty – no, thirty kinds of flowers, he might have been in trouble, but a mere ten didn't even qualify as a challenge.

"W-wow! I – I can only name six…" Sylph said, sounding awed. "But! You definitely won't be able to handle the third, and final, question! Which is heavier, a tonne of rocks or a tonne of feathers?"

This time, Heinrich didn't doubt what he'd heard. He replied, "Neither, they both weigh one tonne."

"Ha! Gotcha!" Sylph said triumphantly. "Of course the rocks would be heavier, silly!"

"What?" Heinrich said. "That's not it! You just said that there's one tonne of both. A tonne is a unit of weight, so according to the terms of the riddle, they should both be the exact same weight!"

"Eh?"

Sylph was shocked, as if Heinrich had said something she'd never heard before. She started counting on her fingers for some reason, then her mouth gaped open.

"I… I… I never thought of that before…" Sylph said dejectedly. "I heard that saying from the fairies… But now that I think about it, no wonder they always laughed when I said that the rocks were heavier…"

Now Heinrich couldn't help but feel pity for Sylph. She looked like a human child who had just learned that there was no angel that gave her presents for acting nicely.

"Can I – can I ask you one question?" Heinrich said. "You mentioned forming contracts with humans before, but – did you test them in the same way?"

"I – to be honest, I didn't always have this test," Sylph admitted. "It's something I came up with recently. I thought that it would be good for picking out the best candidates."

There were a few seconds of awkward silence. Then Sylph shook her head and pointed at Heinrich.

"Okay! The test of mind wasn't enough, so now it's time for the next test! This is the one I've been using right from the start! This is the test of strength! I'll test you in a fight!"

"W-What!?" Heinrich said. "I can't do that! You're – you're – "

"Don't worry, I'm a lot tougher than I look!" Sylph replied.

To prove this, Sylph flew right at a nearby tree. Her tiny body slammed into the trunk and then bounced away. Heinrich stepped forward in an attempt to catch her, but Sylph remained in the air, without any signs of injury.

"See?" Sylph said proudly, with a piece of bark stuck in her hair. "Don't worry about hurting me. Anyway, all you have to do is hit me once, and you win. Got it?"

Heinrich was still a little reluctant at fighting someone so much smaller than him, but this feat of durability was undeniable. He agreed, and also pointed out the piece of bark so that Sylph could remove it.

Sylph took up position at the centre of the clearing, while Heinrich stood about five metres away from her. Heinrich had a tree branch in hand – even if Sylph was much tougher than expected for her size, using a real sword would still be dangerous.

Sylph was the one to initiate the duel. She raised her hands and shouted, "Wind, guard me!" With that command, the winds changed course unnaturally, spiralling around Sylph. The wind formed a sphere around the spirit, one that was visible to Heinrich because it stirred up the leaf litter as well.

Heinrich stepped forward and thrust the branch at the centre of the tornado, but the branch was completely blown away. While he was knocked off balance, Sylph raised her hand and a powerful gust blew directly at Heinrich, sending him flying away. Fortunately, the ground was soft and cushioned his landing.

Picking up the branch, Heinrich tried again and again. But he simply could not get through Sylph's barrier of wind. He never would have thought that mere wind could offer so much resistance.

On the other hand, Sylph wasn't able to inflict any serious injury on him either. She moved her arms vigorously before each attack, making it easy for Heinrich to predict and avoid her gusts of wind. Even on the rare occasion that he was hit, he was simply blown about without suffering anything worse than a scrape. It seemed that the power of wind was good for defence, but not offence.

Within her barrier of wind, Sylph laughed. "You won't be able to reach me at all! If you can land a single hit, I'll consider you worthy… but you won't be able to do it!"

 _There has to be some way of getting to her_ , Heinrich thought. _Other people could do it, after all. If my normal attacks don't have enough force to bypass her wind, then – wait, I could try that out!_

First, Heinrich called on the magic within him to enhance his body. He needed every bit of strength and speed that he could get for this.

Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a red ribbon, a small souvenir from Yamatai Village. While grasping it tightly, he circled around Sylph, making sure the ribbon was always visible. He then threw the ribbon forward while digging his feet in to skid to a stop.

As expected, Sylph continued following the ribbon. Heinrich didn't let this opportunity pass. He charged forward, raising his branch high, and swung it down. As before, the branch was torn out of his hands by the wind.

But even that was another feint. Using one arm to protect his face, Heinrich _threw_ himself at the barrier. The wind pushed back on him, but his body was much heavier than the branch, and he managed to overwhelm it.

The moment Heinrich collided with Sylph, the barrier of wind dissipated. Heinrich dug in his foot to avoid travelling further and potentially falling on top of the tiny spirit. He then stepped back and breathed heavily.

Sylph fluttered around unsteadily for a moment, but soon returned to her usual cheery self. She said, "Okay, you've won! That's all of the tests! Now it's time for our contract!"

Heinrich wasn't sure what to expect next. The word "contract" made him think of writing on a sheet of paper and leaving his seal on it, but he doubted that a contract with a spirit worked that way.

Sylph pointed her finger at Heinrich and vanished in a flash of light. He was confused momentarily, only for the wind to rush into his body, despite the clothing and skin in its way. A sensation akin to a raging storm filled his insides, causing him to stagger.

 _Alright, I'm in!_ Sylph said, her voice now somehow inside Heinrich's head. _Now that we've merged, you can now use my power over wind_!

 _Really!?_ Heinrich thought. _So does that mean that I can do the same things as you? That would be incredible! Intercepting all attacks, and blowing enemies away with gusts of wind…_

 _N-No, you can't!_ Sylph replied quickly. _You still don't know how to harness my power properly. You won't be able to use the wind to attack or defend. My other contractors took weeks before they could reach that level._

 _Oh… well, I should have expected that_ , Heinrich thought. _I really wanted to try flying – ah, forget about that! Anyway, can you really hear all of my thoughts like this?_

 _That's right, but don't worry!_ Sylph said, then she suddenly appeared in front of him again. She continued, "I can pop outside of your body just like that, and it doesn't affect our contract in any way. So if you ever need privacy, don't worry about that!"

"Huh, that's convenient," Heinrich said.

"Now, let's call your friends and tell them the good news!" Sylph said.

-ooo-

In the end, they spent a week in the Forest of Spirits. For all of her… quirks, Sylph had centuries to accumulate knowledge about the forest and she showed them all kinds of sights.

There was the village of the elves, composed of treehouses located high up in the canopy. Its native inhabitants could access the buildings easily thanks to their superhuman jumping and climbing abilities, though they had thoughtfully set out rope ladders for the less physically-gifted. Here something odd had occurred: one elf asked Heinrich to meet her alone in a secluded area, and she was about to say something when Mary appeared. Looking slightly upset, Mary had told the elf to not bother Heinrich. To this day, he still didn't know what that was about.

There were the beds of flowers of every colour imaginable, where the fairies played their games. At these times Sylph would physically manifest in order to join in on the fun. She often stayed with her compatriots until nightfall and required considerable coaxing to leave them.

And in the depths of the forest, there was a small pond that gave off an atmosphere of tranquillity. According to Sylph, it was much like the spring where "Deeny" – Undine – lived. This made Heinrich wonder what the spirit of water was like. For some reason, Mary spent long periods of time here, gazing at the still surface of the pond.

But as always, the time came for them to move on. Akame remained behind, claiming that there were still countless secrets in the forest and that she would need several lifetimes to uncover them all.

The three of them exited the forest, Sylph buzzing about near Heinrich's head. It was at this point that she decided to say something shocking.

"Say, Alice, just what were you trying to hide all this time?"

When Sylph said that, Mary tripped and fell flat on her face in a manner that was reminiscent of Akame. She got back on her feet, coughing up dirt, and said, "Wait, _what_!?"

"Eh? Was that too sudden?" Sylph asked. "The reason I'm saying this is because I can understand people through their wind. Basically, the wind gets changed when it passes through a person, and the way it changes depends on how they're feeling, and so I can figure out what people are feeling from their wind. And ever since we've met, your wind has been – what's the word for it? Chaotic. That usually happens when someone is hiding something."

Heinrich and Mary shared a look, then nodded. If Sylph was going to be sharing his mind from now on, the secret would come out soon enough. It was better to tell her now.

Sylph looked between the two of them. "Wait, don't tell me it's – it's _that_?" Sylph said. "Oh – in that case – "

"It's _not_ what you're thinking!" Mary snapped. "Anyway, I'll tell you. But first, can you sense anyone who might be watching or listening in on us?"

"Nope! There's no one around but us," Sylph replied. "That's another thing I can pick up with the wind."

"I can't sense anyone either… okay, here goes nothing," Mary said.

Taking a deep breath, Mary changed her appearance. She returned to the same blonde hair and red eyes that she had when Heinrich had first met her, but now she also gave herself monstrous features. Her hands became scaly and tipped with claws, while purple tentacles and green vines unfurled from under her dress.

Seeing these traces of Mary's true form was still unnerving to Heinrich. It wasn't as shocking as when he had seen the entirety of her true form, but his heart still skipped a beat at the sight.

"My real name is Mary Fateburn, and I'm the daughter of the current Monster Lord Alice the Seventh," Mary explained. "Although I'm currently going by 'Alice', partly so I can get used to it. Anyway, I'm currently travelling around the world incognito and I need you to keep this a secret as well."

"I see! That makes a lot more sense!" Sylph said, nodding. Then she tilted her head. "Wait, what does 'incognito' mean?"

"Wha – It means that I'm hiding my real identity!" Mary said. "Anyway, you have to keep this a secret."

"Got it!" Sylph said. "Well… to be honest, I'm not all that good at keeping secrets… But! I shouldn't have any problems if I stay inside Heinrich right?"

Heinrich wasn't exactly reassured by these words, and from the look on her face, neither was Mary. Still, they ended up deciding that it was enough.

Mary changed back to her disguise and Sylph returned to Heinrich's body. They stepped onto the road and headed south.


	12. Chapter 11: San Ilia

Again, Heinrich tried to relax, to surrender his body to the freedom of the wind. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind of thoughts. He tried to focus only on the voices.

He wasn't having much luck. The sources of the strange voices were all around him and moved with incredible agility. It was like being surrounded by a swarm of bees – he felt dizzy whenever he tried focusing on just one of them. He also wasn't able to tell what the voices were saying.

After a few minutes, Heinrich had achieved his goal. Both his mind and body were relaxed. Now it was time for the next step.

Heinrich tried to visualise himself grabbing hold of the wind, pulling it close to his body. It was even harder than it sounded, and Heinrich had failed to achieve this in some of the previous training sessions. But he couldn't let himself get frustrated, or he would be forced to start the whole thing over again.

Eventually, Heinrich managed to get the wind to circle around him, like he was in the eye of a miniature storm. It was the same type of barrier as that used by Sylph when she'd tested him.

Mary stood a short distance away. She asked if Heinrich was ready and he nodded. Then she picked up a small pebble from a nearby pile and threw it at him. The pebble had little force behind it, so the barrier of wind caught it and sent it flying in another direction.

Heinrich rejoiced internally, but not for long. The second pebble came flying at him, and this time it pierced through the barrier to hit him in the chest. It was far too weak an attack to cause him injury, but it disrupted his concentration. The wind scattered, leaving Heinrich surrounded by a chaotic mess of voices again.

 _Ah, shoot!_ Sylph said, inside Heinrich's head. _You almost had it that time!_

 _It's better than before, I was able to conjure up the barrier in half the time compared to the last session_ , Heinrich replied. _Still, it's a little disheartening that I still can't stop two pebbles in a row._

 _You still haven't got the right mindset_ , Sylph said. _You have to be able to let yourself go, to think like the wind, to_ feel _like the wind. Until you can do that, you'll have gaps in the barrier and won't be able to do any of the more advanced things, like making yourself faster._

After this conversation, Heinrich continued his training in the use of Sylph's power. He was able to recreate the barrier of wind twice, but he still couldn't make it last for more than a single attack.

Eventually, Heinrich decided that he'd done enough for the night. Mary praised him on his progress and then sat down to read a book, something that she had been doing more of recently.

Heinrich walked off into the trees, looking up at the sky. He thought back to his earliest sessions of training. Back then, he was totally exhausted after using Sylph for just a few minutes, becoming barely able to stand. This was due to his body not being used to channelling this kind of power, so he burned through his mana reserves faster than expected – and Heinrich didn't have a lot of mana to begin with, thanks to his lack of training in magic. Now, though, he had no trouble moving around after training.

He then heard the voices again. Another sign of his progress was that Heinrich could now hear the voices of the wind even when not actively concentrating with Sylph's power. According to the spirit, all living things created such a voice by disturbing the air – whether through breathing, vocalising or simply moving their limbs. By sensing these voices through the power of the wind, it was possible to detect any living thing, even a tiny insect hidden out of sight. This sixth sense gave Heinrich a newfound appreciation of the world, with its rich diversity of life.

Heinrich surveyed one tall tree. It had a thick trunk and rough bark that would offer plenty of handholds. Most of the branches were thick and none of them showed any signs of decay. All in all, it was a good tree for climbing. Moreover, from the roots to the tips of the branches, Heinrich could hear the faint voices of innumerable animals.

Then he began climbing. He proceeded carefully, testing each branch before putting his weight on it. On the way up, he listened to the voices and observed the animals as he came across them. A sweet and melodious voice was given off by an iridescent butterfly, which took flight as Heinrich approached. A high-pitched voice with a regular sequence of sounds turned out to come from a line of ants, marching up the trunk. A relatively loud voice came from a grey-coloured lizard, which scurried about in search of insects to eat. In this way, Heinrich learned the voice of each kind of animal.

Due to a lack of sturdy branches higher up, Heinrich stopped about two-thirds of the way up the tree. He was still higher than many of the other trees, giving him an excellent vantage point. From here, Heinrich could see the numerous crowns of trees that made up the forest canopy, gleaming in the sun. The wind was also stronger up here. Heinrich could hear even more voices than usual, so he lay back and took it all in. When he wasn't trying to take control of the wind, listening to the voices was soothing and required no effort.

He thought back on what had happened since the Forest of Spirits. First they had passed through a small human village, where they replenished their supplies. Then they came across a village of lamias, reptilian monsters with humanoid upper halves and the lower halves of giant serpents, where they watched a traditional dance. Finally, they encountered a caravan of travelling human merchants and accompanied them for a few days. In total, it had been one month since they'd left the forest. They were now in the middle of autumn, but since they were approaching the tropics, it was still just as hot as summer in the Noah region.

Though there was one concerning rumour, mentioned by the aforementioned merchants. It seemed that the city of San Ilia – their next destination – was troubled by a strange disease. The disease had apparently been around for years, but in recent months had grown to become a major problem. One merchant said that entire households had fallen prey to the disease. Because of this rumour, the three of them were heading to the city at a faster pace than usual.

Suddenly, Heinrich felt someone approaching through the wind. The next moment, Mary landed on a branch next to him.

"Hey there, enjoying the scenery?" Mary asked.

"Definitely," Heinrich replied.

Mary settled down and looked out on the forest as well. Smiling peacefully, she continued, "You know, I never had the opportunity to climb trees back at home. In the first place, I was almost always cooped up in the castle. And on top of that, there's not a lot of trees on Hellgondo – it's basically a barren wasteland, apart from a few places with water. I did get to climb the buildings, but it really isn't the same thing, you know? There's the smell of the leaves, the sound of them blowing in the wind…"

"I understand exactly how you feel," Heinrich said. He thought for a moment and then decided to reveal something about himself as well. "I was in a similar – well, kind of similar situation. Sure, I was out in the forest whenever I had free time, but I was always focused on my training to the exclusion of all else. In fact, I didn't even really think about what I was going to do in the future. Was I going to go out and fight monsters and bandits with a tree branch or a shovel? And of course, I didn't pay that much attention to the world around me. But now that I have Sylph's power, I can sense so much more, it's like I've been blindfolded all my life until now."

"Really? What's that like?"

"Well, first of all…"

Heinrich spent several minutes telling Mary about what he'd experienced. It wasn't easy, as he often found himself not knowing the words to describe something, but it was incredibly rewarding nonetheless. Talking to her made him forget even the mild fatigue in his muscles – he felt like he could spend the rest of his life talking to her, and it would never be boring.

Eventually, Heinrich realised something. Normally, he and Mary would keep a polite distance from each other – aside from the times she excitedly hugged him. But now, they were close enough that they could just about feel each other's breaths. Heinrich found that he was staring right into Mary's eyes.

Heinrich suddenly felt a surge of burning embarrassment. He twisted his head around, forcing himself to look anywhere else, and muttered, "Ah – um – we should really be heading off now, we won't make it to San Ilia before nightfall at this rate."

"That's – that's right!" Mary said behind Heinrich. "I'll pack everything up, you – you just get ready!"

Judging from the following sounds, Mary jumped off and landed on the ground, then hurried back to the camp.

When he was sure that Mary was out of sight, Heinrich climbed back down the tree. Once his feet were safely on the earth again, he let out a sigh of relief, but –

 _Sooo… what was all that about?_

Heinrich jumped. He whirled around looking for the source of the voice, only to remember the second inhabitant of his head.

 _That – that was –_ Heinrich thought, his heart racing as he searched for an acceptable answer. _That was just – it was exactly what I said, we need to get going! There's that – that – that thing over in San Ilia, the –_

 _The thing about lots of people getting sick?_ Sylph said.

 _That's right!_ Heinrich said. _That's all it is!_

 _Hmm… so what exactly is the relationship between you two?_ Sylph asked.

 _We're just – we're just friends,_ Heinrich said, trying to inject as much resolution into his mental voice as possible.

 _Really…_

After that, Sylph was quiet. However, Heinrich still couldn't shake the feeling of unease. Trying to take his mind off the matter, he hurried towards the camp to help in the packing.

-ooo-

The sun was dipping below the horizon by the time they reached San Ilia. The city gate was manned by two guards, who let them in but with an ominous warning: to avoid the areas of the city struck by something called "plague".

San Ilia looked to be a little smaller than Grand Noah, but it was no less magnificent. Most notable were the spires of churches, built from finely-carved stone and adorned with stained-glass windows, which towered over everything else.

Then there were the people. They comprised a wide variety of professions, with priests, nuns, paladins and others of the faith being more common than in other places, but that wasn't the surprising part. No, what surprised Heinrich was the presence of monsters in the streets. There were beasts, harpies, lamias, even a few mermaids. They weren't that common – a quick estimate suggested that they made up about a tenth of the population – but their presence in the holy city was still unexpected.

The two of them walked further into the city, where they came across even more surprising sights. There were a few monsters wearing the habits of Ilias' followers. At a major intersection, a lamia in a blue habit spoke passionately about Ilias' teachings. Even more surprising, a succubus in a purple habit was leading a group of pilgrims to a church.

The idea of monsters in a human city didn't seem so ludicrous after Yamatai. However, the idea of monsters who worshipped Ilias, a goddess who preached their extermination, was one that Heinrich and Mary simply couldn't wrap their heads around. From what they could see, these monsters seemed to be genuine in their beliefs.

At one point, Mary said, "I did hear rumours about this, but to think monsters would be this integrated…"

"Yeah, it's something I never would have imagined a year ago," Heinrich said. He looked at the rapidly-dimming sky and added, "It's getting late, we should find someplace to stay for the night."

But not everything was positive. As they walked through the city, they saw what the guards had warned them of. Countless abandoned houses, their doors and windows boarded up and a sign posted out front with just one word: "Plague". Few people passed by these houses and those that did kept their distance. The streets where such houses occurred were absolutely filthy, to the point that rats scurried about in broad daylight.

And even in the areas without abandoned houses, there was a trace of misery in the atmosphere. People hurried about, rarely stopping to talk to each other.

Most notable of all were the strange figures in grey garments. They wore long grey coats that reached to the knees, grey hats with wide brims, and pointed masks that resembled the beaks of birds. From these masks wafted the strong smell of herbs. They also carried long wooden canes, though didn't use these for walking. These strange figures were avoided by others, humans and monsters alike. And when one of them stepped into a house, the wails of the house's inhabitants could be heard from all across the street.

The first time this happened, Mary clenched her fists and glared at the house in question. Heinrich rushed to hold her back, telling her, "Wait, we need to get more information first. We don't know what they're doing."

Mary stopped and sighed in frustration. "I know, it's just… I guess I haven't grown that much, after all."

"No, that's not right," Heinrich insisted. "Besides, look at me." He held up his hands, showing that they were shaking. "It bothers me too. But we can't do anything until we know more."

After some discussion, they headed off to find an inn, where they would be able to learn more about the situation.

As they left the street, Heinrich noticed that nobody else paid attention to the wails. They simply continued with their own business.

-ooo-

They settled on an inn on the west side of the city, named "The Playful Wind". Understandably, Sylph had been excited at the name. The inn was located in an area of the city relatively untouched by the plague. The patrons of the inn were thus more cheerful – however, some of them could still be heard discussing the issue.

The inn was packed, so Heinrich and Mary had to be seated at the same table as an existing patron, a scruffy middle-aged man with the clothing and bearing of a labourer. He introduced himself as Cervantes.

After the two of them ordered their dinner, they started up a conversation with this inhabitant of the city.

"Mm, the reason why monsters are allowed in San Ilia," Cervantes said. "Well, I can understand why you'd find that weird. To answer that – hm. Let me ask you a question: what do you remember of Ilias' teachings? Apart from the five commandments that everyone knows?"

This gave the two of them pause. Eventually Heinrich, being the more knowledgeable about this subject, answered, "To be humble instead of vain, to be diligent in your labours, to love – to love all others equally?"

Heinrich blinked. He'd simply recited what he'd learned as a child, only now realising the implications.

"Exactly," Cervantes said. "That's the part that doesn't make sense with the rest. I'm talking about that first commandment: "Thou shalt not have intercourse with monsters". If humans were to follow that, then monsters would die out – so how does that make sense if you're to love everyone? And then there's people like those wackjobs up in Noah or down in the Ilias Continent who take it further and want to kill all monsters… How do you explain that?"

"I… To be honest, I never really thought about that," Heinrich said. "Does that mean that you don't believe in Ilias?"

"No, that's not what I meant," Cervantes said. "I do believe. But the thing is – and this also goes for other people in this city – I believe that humans aren't perfect. Think about it – can you remember everything from your childhood perfectly? Didn't think so. And because of that, there's no way you could pass on everything you know to the next generation. It's been hundreds or thousands of years since humans have been worshipping Ilias, so there's no way her teachings have been passed down completely unchanged."

These words of surprising wisdom left Heinrich silent for a while.

"Here, we believe in the original teachings of Ilias," Cervantes said. "I mean, it's clear that monsters aren't all evil – all it takes is talking to them for a minute to realise that. So the version that claims that they've all evil must be the wrong version. Maybe someone got hurt by a monster at some point and twisted the teachings that they passed down – nobody really knows, and it doesn't really matter at this point. Anyway, that's why monsters are accepted here, and in Safina and Gold, too."

Next was Mary's turn to speak. "So that's why there are some monsters worshipping Ilias as well… I was shocked when I first saw that, but now it makes sense."

At this point, Heinrich's and Mary's food arrived. The waitress delivering it was an elf. Heinrich still found it strange for monsters to be casually walking around the holy city, but he was growing accustomed to it. After eating for a while, he decided to bring up the more sensitive topic.

"This – well, it might not be the best time to ask, but what can you tell us about the disease in this city?" Heinrich asked.

Cervantes stopped eating. Heinrich cursed himself internally for a second, but thankfully the man started talking.

"Hmph. That's something they all ask about – don't worry, I ain't angry at you for asking. You probably heard a bit about the plague before coming here. It's something that's been around ever since I was a brat, but it was never this bad. But about five or six months ago, people started dropping dead all over the place. I lost one of the guys I worked with last week, and another one three weeks ago."

"That's – I'm sorry," Heinrich said quickly.

Cervantes merely sighed. "It's fine. At this point – it might be hard for you to understand, but I've gotten used to it. We all have."

Heinrich thought back to the incident with the strange figure in grey, remembered how nobody else had batted an eye at the wailing, and shuddered.

"Anyway, you two should be careful," Cervantes said. He scratched briefly at some red lumps, presumably insect bites, on his arm. "Stay away from the plague areas, you can't mistake them for anything else, and you'll be fine… probably."

"What are people doing to try and stop this plague?" Mary asked.

"Not much, really," Cervantes replied, shrugging. "Healers have been brought in from all over the country, but they haven't been able to do more than slow the spread. Oh, and by healers I'm talking about the proper white mages and such. Those idiots in the beak masks don't do any good, and I'm not the only one who thinks they've made things worse."

"So I'm guessing that no one's worked out what's causing the plague, then?" Mary asked.

Cervantes shook his head. "Nobody's sure about that. Actually – there are _some_ people who're sure about the cause – it's the fanatics who think that this is Ilias' curse for accepting monsters, or the plague was caused by monsters as part of some plot to bring down the city. Put it this way: nobody who matters is sure about what's causing all this."

After this, they continued eating in silence until Cervantes had finished. The gruff yet helpful labourer stood up, bade them goodbye, and left the bar. Then the two of them finished their dinner and headed to their room for the night to talk.

"I know what you're going to say," Mary said. "But I can't just overlook this. It might not be the Monster Lord's business, but I can't just – "

"Wait, hold on, I wasn't planning on saying anything like that," Heinrich said. "I'm behind you one hundred percent. We can't just abandon the people here."

 _Although it's easy for me to say that, what can I actually do to help?_ Heinrich thought.

Mary blinked, then grabbed the pillow from the bed and buried her face in it. "Sorry for doubting you," she mumbled. "Anyway… it's getting late, we should get to bed early so we can start out early tomorrow. I've already got some ideas."

They prepared to settle in for the night. As they had previously done, Heinrich got into the bed while Mary lay down on the floor. But at that moment –

 _Wait, wait, wait!_ Sylph called out. _What the hell are you doing!?_

Heinrich flinched, but managed to answer, _We're getting ready to – oh, right. This is the first time we've slept in an inn since you joined us. Back in the Forest of Spirits, we were staying in separate rooms… Anyway, we've been doing this the entire time, Mary sleeping on the floor and –_

 _Are you an idiot!?_ Sylph retorted. _How can you just let her sleep on the floor!? Why don't you invite her into bed!?_

These words nearly caused Heinrich to fall out of the bed in question. Making sure that he wasn't saying anything out loud, he replied, _That's – well – she's already comfortable with this arrangement, and –_

 _That's not good enough!_ Sylph said. _Isn't it normal for humans to sleep in the same bed? And you two are already friends, so you shouldn't have any problems with that. You could even – you could even deepen your friendship this way!_

Heinrich imagined a blushing Mary, thanking Heinrich for letting her into the bed. Then she climbed onto the bed, the added weight causing Heinrich to tremble. They spent several minutes together, feeling each other's body heat, gradually building up their anticipation. Finally, Mary hugged Heinrich from behind and whispered into his ear, "Hey, let's – "

 _Nonononono – stop thinking about that_ , Heinrich thought, trying to reassert control over his traitorous mind.

 _If you need privacy, remember that I can always pop outside!_ Sylph said reassuringly. _I can go out and explore the city on my own, and leave you two to do whatever you want!_

 _There's no need for that!_ Heinrich insisted. _Everything's fine as it is, now let's get to sleep!_

With that, Heinrich emptied his mind and refused to talk to Sylph for the rest of the night.

-ooo-

The next morning, they gathered some more information from the patrons of the inn. Using this information, they decided on their first destination.

After about ten minutes of walking, Heinrich spotted their destination. It was one of the many churches in the city. The entire population of Heinrich's home village could have fit comfortably inside. Three statues of Ilias adorned the building, two on either side of the entrance and one on top of the steeple.

Heinrich glanced at the statues as he approached the church. They were symbols of the Goddess of light that created humanity, and thus should have inspired awe in him… but right now, he only felt conflicted at the sight.

They stepped inside. Heinrich was immediately struck by an overpowering scent of death and suffering. The church's pews had been cleared away to make space for over two hundred – no, it could even be three hundred sick people. All were human – for that matter, Heinrich had never heard of monsters getting sick. They lay on the floor, with only thin rags between them and the hard stone. They showed a wide range of symptoms: the most common was strange swellings on various parts of the body, but some coughed incessantly, others vomited blood, and a few looked as if their bodies had started rotting while they were still alive.

Healers rushed around attending to the patients. They were an even mix of humans and monsters, and were clearly working beyond their limits. There were just fifteen of them to care for the several hundred patients.

After taking it all in, Heinrich nearly came to a stop. He'd seen a similarly-gruesome scene before – the village that had been raided by bandits a few months ago – but that didn't stop him from wanting to flee the church, to be anywhere else but here. Then he looked at the healers again, at their perseverance even in this horrific situation, and hardened his resolve.

There was a nun at the far end of the church, who seemed to be the one in charge of organising everything. She was a human woman in her fifties or sixties, and looked to have not slept in days, but she didn't let that stop her. She performed her work tirelessly, reading reports and telling the healers which patients they should attend to next.

Heinrich and Mary walked up to the nun, carefully stepping between the rows of patients. She turned to them and said, "Yes, how can I help you? Who are you looking for?"

"We aren't looking for anyone here," Mary said. "We're actually here to help. My name is Alice, and I consider myself to be decent at white magic."

"And I'm Heinrich, and although I can't use white magic, I still have a little experience taking care of the sick," Heinrich said.

"Oh! We could definitely use more help," the nun said. She pulled out a bundle of paper and flicked through it. "What times would you be available?"

"We can help you out every day for the entire day, or if you prefer, for the entire night instead," Mary answered. "And we don't need anything in exchange."

"I see, that would be extremely helpful. Your generosity is something that all believers should live up to," the nun said. She didn't notice Mary flinching slightly at these words. "I can assign you to the south corner, the one over there. That should reduce the burden on the others, even if it's only slightly. Now, I have just one more question, which school of magic did you graduate from?"

Mary froze. Heinrich tried to think of an answer, but it was too late.

"Hm? Don't you remember – hold on," the nun said, her voice becoming stern. "Do you have your certificate of graduation from your school? Show it to me."

"I – I, um," Mary mumbled.

"You – you're not a real mage at all, are you?" the nun said angrily. "Did you think you could simply walk in here and play around, like this was a child's game? This is a matter of life and death! How dare you – "

Heinrich quickly grabbed Mary's hand and pulled her out of the church, to avoid causing any more of a disturbance.

Once they were in an alley, out of sight of curious onlookers, they both leaned against the walls and breathed heavily.

Mary stood up and slammed her fist into the wall, causing a few cracks. "What the hell was I even thinking!?" she said angrily. "I can't believe I forgot about something that basic!"

"Don't be so hard on yourself, I forgot as well," Heinrich reassured her.

"Hrmmm… like this, I guess there's no point trying any of the other churches," Mary said. "Now that I think about it, I did have a story I could have told her. It was the one I mentioned to you earlier, about coming from a village in the Noah region. But – ""

"But if you'd said that, she still might have asked for proof," Heinrich finished. "And she might have been suspicious if you claimed you'd come from the Noah region, since people over there aren't likely to come to a city like this. You mentioned back then that this fake village was tolerant of monsters, but that could still sound suspicious."

"I know, but – dammit!" Mary said. "I learnt white magic during the summer just for a situation like this. I thought it would cover my shortcomings – but there's not even a chance to use it! And I'm not allowed to reveal that I'm – that I'm _that_ , either! What's the point of having all this power, when you can't even help those who need it!?"

After letting out her anger, Mary slumped against the wall.

Heinrich felt that he couldn't let this be. The situation right now reminded him of when Mary had realised that her actions had led to countless deaths. He couldn't let that happen again.

Heinrich put his hands on Mary's shoulders, causing her to meet his eyes. He said, "No. We _can_ do something. There has to be a way, there's always one, we just need to keep looking for it. Is the Monster Lord someone who gives up from one obstacle?"

Mary looked down, then bit her lip and replied, "No, she isn't."

"That's right. So you need to keep trying so you can be worthy of earning that title," Heinrich said. "I'll be with you every step of the way. So let's get going!"

"That's right, it's not time to give up yet!" Mary said.

"And – and one more thing," Heinrich said. "That thing you said before: 'What's the point of having all this power, when you can't even help those who need it?' To be honest – and, this is just what I think – I think that if you can say something like that, you're already worthy of being a leader."

Mary thanked Heinrich by pulling him into a powerful hug. Powerful enough that he was worried about the state of his ribs, but he was still reassured. Then the two of them began to leave the alley.

 _Aw, come on, you had the perfect atmosphere!_ Sylph complained. _You could have ki –_

 _I don't know what you're talking about, Sylph, and I don't want to hear it!_ Heinrich replied firmly.

-ooo-

While munching on a stick of bread, Heinrich sat down to rest his legs.

After leaving the alley, the two of them had decided to learn even more about the nature of the plague. They probably wouldn't be able to find out what caused it, but they would at least be in a better position to make their next move. Heinrich wasn't worried about potentially exposing himself to the plague – if worst came to worst, he was confident in Mary's healing skills. She had gotten even better since they left Yamatai.

In the past few hours, Heinrich had learned some of the culture of San Ilia.

He learned that they held the Sylph Festival every year, an event in which they prayed to the eponymous spirit for the protection of the wind. Sylph had been overjoyed that her festival was still being celebrated here. The festival had been a surprise to Heinrich – after all, Ilias' fourth commandment was "Thou shalt not rely on other gods" – but it seemed to be another aspect of the relaxed interpretation of Ilias' teachings here. However, there were rumours that it might be cancelled for this year due to the plague.

He also learned that cats were disliked here, due to being seen as tools of evil mages. It was believed that such mages used these cats to spy on others and even, by applying poison to their claws, to assassinate their enemies. People here would chase cats away by throwing stones at them, even killing them on occasion. Heinrich had been quite disturbed to hear about this. Back at home, he remembered an old stray cat named Furywhiskers, who had grown fat on a steady diet of rats and all the food the children had given to him.

While thinking about these things, Heinrich suddenly felt a disturbance in the wind. He paused, and sharpened his newest sense. There was no mistaking it – it was humans or human-like monsters, a group of them, and the amount of turbulence in the wind meant that they were in some kind of struggle.

Heinrich got up, dropping the bread, and hurried towards the disturbance. He tried using another application of Sylph's power, focusing on the wind originating from his own body and calming it. After a few attempts, he was able to make his footsteps noticeably quieter, though not completely silent.

The disturbance in the wind was coming from an alley. As he approached, Heinrich noted that this was one of the neighbourhoods that was particularly hard-hit by the plague. Then he heard the voices.

"Stop, or I'll – mmph!"

"Don't bother, nobody cares, not in a shithole like this."

"We don't have much time left, so we might as well enjoy what we do have."

"Sorry about this, but then a pretty little thing like you shouldn't have gone wandering around on your own."

The first voice was a woman's, while the latter three were men's. Heinrich drew his sword and sprinted towards the alley, no longer caring about stealth. He knew that the situation was unfavourable, but he couldn't just turn a blind eye.

 _I hope I remember what you taught me, Mary, Izuna-sensei!_ Heinrich thought.

 _Don't worry, from what I've seen so far, you can handle a bunch of thugs like these!_ Sylph said, in an unusually-serious voice.

"Now, time to start – huh!?"

"What – argh!"

"Who the hell are you – aaah!"

The wind was stirred into a frenzy. Heinrich had encountered this kind of feeling before – when he felt a fox catch and kill a rabbit. But the scale right now was completely different.

Heinrich reached the alley, only to stop at the scene before him.

There was indeed one woman and three men – but only two of them were still alive. Two of the men had been reduced to bloody heaps of flesh, barely even recognisable as human. The third was in slightly better condition, being merely covered in gaping wounds. He was crawling away from the woman, who had a sword in hand and was covered in blood. Judging from the ease with which she stood and held her sword, none of the blood was her own.

"Please…" the dying man gasped. "I'll do anything… please don't – "

"'Don't' what, exactly?" the woman asked. "You were planning on having your fun with me… so it's only fair that I have my fun with _you_."

The woman slashed with her sword, causing the man to scream in renewed agony.

"Stop!" Heinrich shouted. He stepped into the alley, his sword raised.

The pair inside the alley looked at Heinrich. The man said, "Thank Ilias, help me, she's – "

Then the woman brought down her sword, silencing the man as she had done to his two friends.

Heinrich was frozen with indecision. The woman wasn't much taller than him, and didn't look particularly muscular, but she had effortlessly killed three grown men. And from the lack of any fear or remorse on her face, she had done so many times before.

 _You have to get out of there!_ Sylph said. _She's too much for you!_

But Heinrich wasn't able to follow this advice. In the blink of an eye, the woman closed in and held him by the chin.

"Hmm…" the woman murmured, looking carefully at Heinrich.

Heinrich just barely managed to hold on to his sword despite the shock. His mind whirled as he debated whether he should try to attack the vicious killer or try to escape.

The woman pulled away. She said, "Not much, huh? It doesn't make sense…"

Now Heinrich was able to get a good look at the woman. She was wearing a long blue cloak with a hood, and simple travelling clothes underneath. Underneath her hood she had silky brown hair, blue eyes, and a casual expression that did not belong on someone who had just butchered three people. She had a scabbard on her belt, in a position where it would normally be hidden by her cloak, and had sheathed her sword here.

Then the woman shrugged and said, "Well, that's enough for a first look. I have other things to do."

Without a care in the world, the woman stepped past Heinrich and walked towards the exit of the alley.

"Wait," Heinrich said, reaching towards the woman. "You can't just – "

The woman simply looked at Heinrich. The moment he met her eyes, Heinrich froze. A tiny mouse that was face-to-face with a voracious tiger would have felt less spine-chilling terror than him.

"If you value your life, don't try anything," the woman said. "Get away from here and run as far as you possibly can."

No more words were necessary. The woman strolled down the street and out of sight.

Once he was sure she was gone, Heinrich looked at the bodies in the alley. There was little he could do for them, given the current state of the city. The buildings on both sides were abandoned to the plague, so there was a good chance that no one would come to retrieve them even if he notified the authorities. His decision was forced when he felt other people approaching on the wind. Since it would be a terrible idea to be caught in an alley with three dead bodies, Heinrich rushed away, suppressing the urge to vomit.

Heinrich tried to return to his duty for the day, but barely gathered any more information. Even Sylph had been affected by the incident, and her attempts to cheer Heinrich up were half-hearted.

As dusk approached, Heinrich reunited with Mary at a major market. The moment he saw her, Heinrich pulled her into a hug. Mary was surprised at first, but returned the hug after she felt him shaking.

After Heinrich had explained everything to her, Mary said, "Hmm. The way you describe her, I'd say she was a monster in human form or a human with combat training. But I have no idea what she was after."

Heinrich had been looking at the ground, but now he turned his eyes to Mary and said, "I don't know either… but we can't let this stop us. We have something more important to do."

Mary nodded. "Still, it would be better for us to stick together from now on."

The two of them headed back to their inn. All the while, Heinrich scanned his surroundings with the power of the wind.

-ooo-

Lucifina returned to the room she had booked at an inn. It was a fairly extravagant one in the wealthy part of the city. Once she was alone in her room, she put her hand to her head and began gathering holy energy. She pictured the visage of Ilias in her mind – as nauseating as that made her feel – and established a telepathic connection with her.

"Ah, Lucifina," Ilias said. "I take it you have news?"

"I do. I've made contact with the target," Lucifina said. "I can report that he's formed a contract with the Great Spirit of Wind, Sylph, though he's a long way from mastering her power."

"I see," Ilias said, and Lucifina could picture her biting her thumbnail. "To rely on the power of a monster… it's a significant sin, though not an absolute one. Anything else?"

"He and his companion are currently investigating the plague in San Ilia," Lucifina said. "I can also report that said plague is much more severe than before – I estimate over ten thousand people have died to it."

"Mm," Ilias said, a trace of satisfaction in her mental voice. "That's good news. Oh, and to be clear, I didn't start that plague – I'm not that kind of person. It is true, however, that I have done nothing to stop it. After all, believers who accept the likes of monsters into their city deserve such punishment."

"Do you wish to know anything else?" Lucifina asked.

"No, that will be all," Ilias said. "Continue your surveillance, but don't attempt to contact either of them again until I say so."

"Yes, Goddess Ilias," Lucifina replied.

Ilias broke off the telepathic connection.

Lucifina threw herself into bed and thought, _And good day to you too. Why don't you come down and mingle with the humans until you catch their plague – no, that's a stupid idea, she can't get sick in the first place. Oh well. It's a nice picture to think about, at least._

 _The humans in this city would definitely be shocked if they heard that part just now. Come to think of it, so would those monsters who are stupid enough to worship the golden bitch. They'd probably throw themselves off a cliff at the news._

Lucifina looked upwards, in the direction of Heaven. _Why did she send me out on this mission, anyway? She can see and hear anything on the surface as long as she focuses on it. What, does she spend all her time ogling bathing men or something?_

 _Heh. Anyway, it's lucky that she can't read people's thoughts as well, or I'd never be able to relax._

Yawning, Lucifina closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. She dreamed that she was standing on a battlefield, the screams of the dying all around her, and Ilias' severed head at her feet.


	13. Chapter 12: Extermination

Another day of information-gathering passed, but Mary and Heinrich were still as lost as before. At nightfall they returned to the inn to discuss their findings. They both sat down on the bed to talk.

"It doesn't seem to make any sense," Mary said, running her hands through her hair in frustration. "The plague doesn't seem to follow any kind of pattern. It's not more common among the wealthy or the poor, the old or the young, or anything like that. And nobody can think of any major events that happened around the time it started getting worse."

Heinrich looked down. "I'm sorry, if we were able to split up we would have gotten more information – "

"For the last time, that's not your fault!" Mary said. She decided to change the topic and said, "Come to think of it, I've been wondering this for a while. What did you learn about diseases?"

"Me? Well, I wasn't taught that much, but…" Heinrich said. "I learned that rotting things, like corpses, give off a foul-smelling air called miasma, and breathing this miasma in makes you sick. I also learned that the human body has four kinds of fluids: blood, phlegm, bile and – wait, that's wrong. It was blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile. If you have too much or too little of any of these, you can also get sick."

"That's… rather different from what I was taught," Mary said. "Admittedly, I wasn't the most attentive student back then, but I remember hearing that diseases like the plague we're seeing here are caused by some sort of invisible… aura? It's something that can't be seen normally, and it can pass from a sick person to a second person, causing the second person to get sick as well. Hold on, let me check my books."

Mary expanded her cabinet and searched through the dozens of books inside. She treated them roughly, tossing each one aside after looking at the cover. This was one bad habit that she had yet to break. In the end, there wasn't a single book on diseases or health.

"Dammit, I can't believe I forgot something like this!" Mary said.

"Hey, you've already got so many books in there, there's bound to be a few on subjects that you didn't expect to need," Heinrich pointed out.

"I know, but still," Mary said. "In the morning I could check out the libraries around here, see what they have. Or – wait, I could do that!"

Mary jumped to her feet, filled with the spark of inspiration. She took a moment to realise that Heinrich had no idea what she was talking about.

"Okay, you remember Akame?" Mary asked. "She was really interested in living things, wasn't she?"

"That's right… but how does that help us?" Heinrich asked. "She should still be all the way back in the Forest of Spirits. Don't tell me you're planning on rushing there to talk to her?"

"There's no need for that, I have a way of talking to her even from another city," Mary explained. "It's telepathy, a special of branch of magic dealing with the mind. Basically, if I imagine the person I want to talk to, I can form a magical link between our minds, and we can convey our thoughts to each other through that. I talked to Akame about this when we were in the Forest of Spirits, so she should be okay with me contacting her now."

"That sounds like a great idea, go ahead," Heinrich said.

Mary closed her eyes and gathered dark energy, shaping it to suit her task. She pictured Akame's face in her mind. Her initial attempt didn't work, so she tried again, this time thinking about the succubus' personality and actions.

-ooo-

Akame was overjoyed. Today had been an extremely-fruitful day for her. Not only did she discover two new species of spider, she had also succeeded in rearing parasitoids from the caterpillars she'd collected last week. She was writing her findings in her notebook when, all of a sudden, a familiar face appeared in her mind, accompanied by a familiar voice.

"Hello, can you hear me?"

Akame was sitting awkwardly on her chair at the time, so the sudden telepathic contact made her fall off and hit the floor painfully.

"Ow!"

"Wait, what was that?" Alice asked. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm okay, I'm okay!" Akame replied quickly. She took a deep breath and focused her mind. "You just surprised me, that's all. Anyway, why'd you call me, Alice? Oh, don't tell me that you finally got together with – "

"We haven't done anything like that – I mean, that's not important right now!" Alice snapped. "Anyway, we're now in San Ilia and there's a serious problem here."

Akame listened as Alice explained the strange plague that had pervaded San Ilia.

"Hmm… This is a tough one," Akame said, once she'd heard everything. "First of all, I should point out that medicine isn't my field of expertise.

 _If anything, this is something my mother would know more about… not that she'd be willing to help out humans_ , Akame thought.

"Sorry about that, but is there any way you can help? Anything?" Alice pleaded.

Akame thought for a moment and said, "Okay, have you ever heard of the germ theory of disease?"

"I… remember hearing that before, but I don't remember what it meant," Alice said.

"The germ theory of disease states that infectious diseases – those that can spread from person to person – are caused by tiny living things called germs," Akame explained. "Germs aren't animals or plants or anything like that, they are their own category of life – but that's not important right now. Anyway, germs are so tiny that nobody can see them with the naked eye, so they can easily get passed from one person to another. Got it so far?"

"I do," Alice replied.

"Now, there's many different ways for germs to spread, and any given disease can only spread through some of these," Akame continued. "They can spread through the air, which happens if an infected person lets out germ-filled air by coughing or sneezing. The common cold is an example of this type. They can also spread through food, especially food that's undercooked or has gone bad, which is why it's important to be careful when storing and cooking food. They can spread through dirty water – I remember that some human cities had outbreaks of cholera in the past, because of their water supply getting tainted by sewage. They can be spread by animals – insects, mainly. For example, malaria is spread via the blood-sucking of mosquitoes, not by miasma from swamps or anything like that. They can also – "

"Wait – insects?" Alice said. "There's a lot of people here who have insect bites. It's so common that they don't really pay attention to it, just like the rats that are everywhere. If I remember correctly, though, these are flea bites instead of mosquito bites. Mosquitoes aren't common around here, since they drained any nearby swamps a while ago."

"Hold on, let me check something," Akame said. Something about Alice's words had stirred up half-forgotten memories. Akame searched through the books in her room – which took a while, as she wasn't the best at deciding what to bring on a journey – until she came across one small tome: _A Catalogue of Diseases and their Known or Suspected Vectors_. It was a monster-authored book on human diseases. She flicked through the pages until she'd found the one on bubonic plague. "Here it is – the symptoms match what you've described, and the cause – it's not confirmed, but it's mentioned that 'Due to the strong correlation between plague cases and rat abundance, it is likely that this disease is vectored by a rat ectoparasite' – basically, it's almost certain that the disease you're seeing is being spread by rat fleas!"

There was a pause, presumably Alice digesting this information, then a mental shout of glee. "Thank you, thanks so much! We've been wandering around without a clue all this time!" Then there was a pause, and Alice continued, "Wait, that still leaves one problem. How do we actually stop the plague? It's not like we can get rid of every single rat, or clean the fleas off all of them."

"Well, that's – wait. When the plague got worse, was there a sudden decrease in the number of cats? Or of any other animal that eats rats?" Akame asked.

"Actually, there was!" Alice said. "There's this superstition about cats being evil or something here, and it meant that, about a year ago, they started driving out or killing any cats in the city!"

"That must be it," Akame said confidently. "There's a principal used in agriculture, called biological control. Basically, predators such as spiders or mantises feed on pests of crops and so minimise damage to the crops. That must also be the case here, with the cats keeping down the populations of rats and hence rat fleas, and the removal of cats must have allowed the rats to grow abundant. I'm guessing the time lag was because of the time needed for rats to breed, for their fleas to breed, for the plague to spread and other factors."

"So if we can find some way to get the cats back, the plague will be over?" Alice said. "No, wait, that wouldn't happen. I'm guessing it would go back to only a few people catching it?"

"That's right," Akame confirmed. "No predator is completely effective at catching its prey, after all, and rats are tenacious and breed quickly. However, if you can get cats to return, they should keep it at a level where it no longer threatens the city."

"That's brilliant! Again, thank you!" Alice exclaimed.

Akame smiled awkwardly, even knowing that Alice couldn't see her. "It's fine, it wasn't really any trouble on my part."

"No, this can't end without you getting some kind of reward," Alice said. "Hmm… alright, got it. I've talked to Heinrich and we've agreed that, the next time we meet, you can ask us a favour and we'll do our best to help you out."

After exchanging a few more words of thanks, Alice ended the telepathic link.

Once she was sure her thoughts would no longer be heard, Akame lay down on her bed and relaxed. Talking to other people was always an ordeal for her. She'd read about how people liked someone who was positive and therefore she put on such a façade. However, this was difficult for her as she'd been forbidden from excessive socialisation, to avoid revealing the jealously-guarded secrets of the Artistes and to make her focus on her studies.

She hadn't told Alice or Heinrich the full truth about this. For all they knew, Akame had left home with her mother begrudgingly allowing it. They didn't know that she had run away from her home, with no expectations of returning. The elves and fairies she was living with were similarly in the dark.

 _If I did tell them… would they be willing to – no. That's too much of a burden. Mother has the ear of the Monster Lord, and her own power can't be underestimated. She's too much for two humans to handle._

Akame shook her head. _There's no use worrying about that. Right now, I can only hope that those two can figure out how to stop that plague_.

-ooo-

Mary explained everything she'd learned to Heinrich, both the cause of the plague and the potential solution.

"I never would have imagined that it was something like that," Heinrich said. "Still, I'm glad we finally have answers."

"That's right!" Mary said. "If I hadn't gotten the idea of asking Akame, we'd still be wandering around and not getting anywhere."

"But how are we going to convince people to let in cats?" Heinrich asked. "Beliefs held for this long don't change that easily."

"Yeah… I still haven't worked that part out yet," Mary admitted.

They remained silent for a while. Eventually, they decided that it was getting late and they could think more about this tomorrow.

As they prepared to settle in for the night, Mary thought about their sleeping arrangements. Heinrich hadn't mentioned this at all, but it still bothered her. From what she'd learned so far, it was customary for two humans travelling together to share one room and one bed, especially in colder regions where it was necessary to conserve body heat. If they were a man and a woman – or, if they were so inclined, a man and a man or a woman and a woman – it was not unexpected for them to – to engage in _intimate_ activities.

Mary shook her head furiously. She lay down on the floor and shut her eyes in an attempt to clear her mind. Unfortunately, this just sharpened her other senses. A wickedly-alluring scent drifted into her nose. The source of the scent was clear – Heinrich.

Now Mary covered her nose as well, but the scent remained in the corner of her mind despite her attempts to banish it. Mary's sense of smell, like all of her other senses, was superhuman and she could distinguish people by their smell. However, it was only in recent months that Heinrich's scent had become something that she couldn't get enough of. It wasn't the delicious scent of good food – that was something she knew very well. It was the kind of scent that made her feel hot inside. It was the kind of scent that made her want to extend her tentacles, climb up onto the bed with Heinrich, and –

Mary transformed her finger into a claw and used it to pierce her own palm. The sudden pain returned her to her senses.

 _What was – What was I just thinking about!? That's – I can't do that!_

 _…Right?_

-ooo-

The next morning they didn't waste any time. After a quick breakfast, during which Mary had trouble meeting Heinrich's eyes, they left the inn and headed for the nearest plague-affected area.

As usual, there were abandoned houses in every direction. Some of the houses had been abandoned for so long that nature was beginning to reclaim them, with tendrils of green ivy spreading across the walls. And like everywhere else, rats scurried about boldly.

It was trivial for Mary to catch one of the rodents. She simply dropped a piece of bread, left from that morning's breakfast, on the ground. One rat, no doubt confident that its agility would let it grab the food and escape, took the bait. Then Mary reached down and grabbed it in one hand. The rat struggled and squirmed but wasn't able to escape. She and Heinrich moved over to a nearby alley.

"Okay, time to try this out," Mary said. After a quick check to make sure that no one else was around, she gathered dark energy in her hand and spoke the word of power: " _Death_."

A sphere of energy surrounded the rat for a fraction of a second, then disappeared. The rat was no longer struggling.

"Instant death magic," Mary explained to a shocked and awed Heinrich. "It doesn't kill by cutting or crushing or burning or any of the usual ways – it simply removes the soul and brings an end to life. Considering what – what I might end up having to do in the future, I thought it was best to learn this."

Upon hearing this, Heinrich looked concerned. "If it makes you uncomfortable, you – "

"I'm fine," Mary said, raising a hand. "Anyway, this was the best way – really the only way, to kill the rat and everything on it without damaging anything."

Mary started searching through the rat's tangled fur. It took her only a minute to pull out half a dozen dead fleas – the rat had clearly not been in the best of health. Mary held the fleas up to her nose and sniffed.

"Smells – smells just like the rat. Not exactly unexpected. But – "

Mary then put a flea in her mouth and crushed it with her tongue, suppressing the urge to gag. In addition to the bestial taste of the rat and the chitinous taste of the flea, there was something else. A foul taste that she remembered quite clearly. Back in the church, surrounded by the atmosphere of the dying, Mary had felt this taste on her tongue. Upon confirming that the taste was the same, Mary spat out the flea and quickly washed out her mouth with some conjured water.

"Ugh, I never want to do that again," Mary said, coughing. "Anyway, it had the same kind of taste as back in the church. I'm sure that the flea was carrying the plague germs."

"Okay," Heinrich said, looking a little queasy at what Mary had just done. "Now, what should we do?"

"I have some ideas," Mary said. "This would involve a bit of risk for you, since you would be on your own. It shouldn't be that dangerous, since you'd still be around other people, but – "

"You don't need to say anything more, I'm up to whatever you're planning," Heinrich said. "I also have some ideas."

They spent ten minutes discussing their plan, then headed off to carry it out.

-ooo-

Mary looked around, confirming that nobody was watching. She walked up to the door of the house, slipped the sheet of paper underneath, and walked away. All in all, it had taken less than five seconds.

This was the house of a white mage who was helping fight the plague, and the fifteenth such house Mary had visited this day. The paper she had slipped under the door contained all that she and Heinrich had learned about the plague and suggestions on how to handle it. Heinrich had said there was a reasonable chance of the message being taken seriously because few humans knew how to write. And even if nine out of ten didn't take the message seriously, the one who tried out the suggestions and saw them work would then pass this information on to others.

Mary checked how many messages she had remaining. There were twelve of them. At her current pace, she would be able to deliver all of them before nightfall, which was when she would move to the second part of the plan.

As she walked through the streets, Mary paid attention to the expressions and conversations of everyone she passed by.

-ooo-

Hidden in the darkness, Mary walked through the street on the route to the next patient. The information she'd gathered during the day had allowed her to determine who had fallen victim to the plague, and thus treat them before their house was condemned. She would sneak into a plague victim's house, making sure that all were asleep, and heal them secretly. In the morning, they would wake up to find themselves miraculously cured. With the level of faith in this city, most would consider this a blessing from Ilias. Mary was naturally annoyed at this. She nevertheless continued her work – lives were more important than pride, after all.

While passing by a boarded-up house, Mary heard a faint sound. She stopped and listened. It was the unmistakeable sound of someone crying. Moreover, they sounded as if they were extremely weak – so weak that they were on the verge of death.

Mary knocked on the door of the house, asking, "Hello, is someone there?"

The response came a few seconds later, a faint cry of "Stay away! It's… it's not safe!"

She couldn't sneak in at this point, but Mary also couldn't just walk away. To avoid attracting unnecessary attention, Mary cast a sound-muffling spell on the door and then pulled off the boards. She stepped into the house and followed the sound to its source.

In one room was a man who, in addition to showing the advanced symptoms of the plague, was also clearly starving. He was so thin that every single one of his bones was clearly visible. He was sitting in a chair and seemed too weak to even stand up from it.

When he saw Mary, the man coughed and said, "What are you doing!? How did you even get in here – why would you do this? Look at me! Everyone left me because of this! If you don't get away, this will happen to you as well!"

"I'm sorry for breaking into your house, but please listen to me," Mary said. "I can heal you. I'm a white mage." To emphasise this point, she raised her staff and channelled a little mana into the end so that it glowed with white light.

The man shook his head slowly. "This – this is too good to be true," he mumbled. "It has to be a dream – "

"This isn't a dream, and I _can_ heal you," Mary said resolutely. "Please. You can trust me. I – I swear, in Ilias' name, that I mean you no harm."

This oath made Mary wince, but it had the desired effect on the unfortunate man. The faint light of hope entered his eyes. He eventually agreed.

Mary picked up the man and carried him over to the tiny bed in the same room. The feat of strength surprised him, although he was too weak to do more than gasp. Then Mary began the healing process.

Healing was much more difficult than most people thought. You couldn't just wave a staff over the patient, say a few words and expend some mana, and completely fix their body. There were a few examples of quick healing, like the Eye of Recovery technique, but these were limited to physical wounds and they only sealed wounds to stem bleeding. And it took a high level of skill to even learn such techniques.

First, Mary closed her eyes and sent a pulse of magic into the man, searching for the characteristic response of the plague pathogen. Once she found it, she sent a second pulse that was specifically tuned to remove only the pathogen. After that, she fixed the extensive damage that the pathogen had done to the man's body. Normally, she would also need to lower the output of the immune system as well, but the man was so starved that his immunity was compromised, so she skipped that part.

Once she was done, Mary took out a bag of dried fruit, which she was originally planning on having as a snack, and set it down on a table next to the bed. She told the man, "I've healed you of the plague, but your body is still weak. Try and get as much sleep as you can, and eat this when you get hungry. I'll come back to check on you in the morning."

After accepting the man's profuse words of gratitude, Mary left the house and moved on to her next patient.

-ooo-

Sitting in the corner of a bar, Heinrich tried to build up his courage. He watched a group of people nearby who were discussing the plague. This conversation had originally been between a group of three, but thanks to its subject matter it had drawn in four more. After finishing off his drink, Heinrich stood up and approached the group.

"It must be something in the water."

"Nah, it can't be that. The water's no worse than it was before. And what about those people who only drink beer, some of them have caught it as well."

"In that case – "

With the conversation now focused on the cause of the plague, Heinrich decided that it was time for him to join in.

"Could it have something to do with rats?" Heinrich asked. "Has anyone noticed if rats have become more common lately?"

"Huh? That's ridiculous, there's always been rats everywhere," replied one woman.

"No, come to think of it – the little bastards do seem more common than they were before," said one man. "At least, you see them more often – in the past, they weren't so bold as to run around in broad daylight."

"But what could the rats be doing to cause the plague?" asked a second man.

"Well, rats like to live in dirty places and eat spoiled food, right?" Heinrich said. "So maybe they spread the filth around, and the miasma coming from that filth is what causes the plague."

This started off a lively discussion about whether this was plausible and, if so, how they might be able to exterminate the rats.

Heinrich relaxed, having achieved his goal of spreading information at the street level. Miasma theory might not be accurate, but it would take too long to explain it properly and, in the present situation, it didn't matter if it wasn't accurate. If people stayed away from sewage and dead bodies, regardless of whether they were avoiding germs or trying to avoid miasma, they would still be less likely to get sick. This was probably why such superstitions persisted to this day.

-ooo-

In another bar, Heinrich tried suggesting that cats could help control rats to combat the plague. Here he experienced more difficulty than before.

"No way," said one man. "We got rid of them for a reason. They're tools of sorcerers."

"But what proof do you have for that?" Heinrich said. He immediately realised that this type of argument wouldn't work, so he switched tactics. "I mean, why would they use cats?"

"Well… because they're smaller and quieter than dogs, so they can sneak around easily?" replied a second man.

"In that case, wouldn't rats be a better option?" Heinrich asked. "After all, they're even smaller and people pay even less attention to them."

This got a favourable response from the others, with a few saying that it was a good point.

"But still, don't rats have bad eyesight?" said the first man. "I've heard that sorcerers can see through the eyes of their familiars. Cats have good eyesight, so they'd be better for this purpose."

"I don't know anything about magic, but is something like that even possible?" Heinrich said, looking around at the small crowd.

One woman sitting near the back, who'd been quiet up until now, spoke. "Actually… I'm an apprentice mage, and I've never heard of anyone being able to do that. See through the eyes of an animal, that is. Um… from what I've read, the brains of animals work very differently to a human's or a monster's, so the information they have can't be – can't be understood by ours."

This started another round of discussion. Heinrich breathed a sigh of relief. Mary had already told him about this aspect of magic, but he'd avoided saying it himself. Having a second person support his argument made it more convincing.

-ooo-

A couple of weeks passed in this manner, with the two of them working to fight the plague in their own ways. However, they couldn't spend all of their time doing so as they would only destroy their own bodies. Even Mary, with her superhuman physiology, didn't work continuously for more than three days in a row. Like everyone else, they took time off to relax.

Now, the two of them were staying in a house that had been abandoned to the plague. They were far from the only ones doing so – the dangers of being out in the open at night had driven many desperate people to accept the risk. Of course, Mary took care of these people as well on her daily routine. When the two of them moved into this house, they had cleared out the rats by filling the rooms with smoke to simulate fire. The house was quite large and comfortable. It had a front room, a kitchen, a bathroom and even two separate bedrooms.

Heinrich was reclining in a soft chair. Mary was doing likewise and she was also in her original appearance, with blonde hair and red eyes. It seemed to be more comfortable for her.

Yawning, Mary asked, "So… so how was your day, Heinrich?"

"I think everything went well," Heinrich replied. "I – to be honest, I never thought I'd be this good at talking to people. It did take effort, and I would never have managed if other people didn't speak up as well, but I'm actually getting people to change their minds."

"That's right," Mary said, smiling. "Remember when we first met? I said that you would learn how to get along with others if you came along with me."

"Yeah – although, I still feel a little uncomfortable being around lots of other people," Heinrich said.

"That's okay, a lot of people are like that," Mary said. "Still, it's helpful to learn social skills in case you need them." She paused, looking up at the ceiling. "To tell you the truth, I learned something new as well. I always thought that science was something I didn't need to know, that it was just boring letters and numbers. Even while we were staying in Yamatai, I thought that practical skills like white magic would be more helpful than any theory. Now, though, I can really appreciate the work that people like Akame do."

Mary smiled. Heinrich was briefly transfixed by the sight, but he quickly looked away.

Eventually it was time for them to wash up. One of the advantages of living in a place like this was the bathtub, which was large enough to just lie back and relax. Moreover, Mary could conjure up as much water as they needed, so they didn't even need to carry water from the well. Conjured water disappeared after a short period of time, but that was no problem when using it for bathing. And on top of that, she was able to make the water comfortably-hot. A hot bath was a luxury that Heinrich would never be able to get enough of.

Mary went first. A few minutes after she left, Sylph popped out of Heinrich's body. The wind spirit shook her head, causing her long hair to whip about chaotically, then said, "I know just how you feel! Back in the Forest of Spirits, I used to take a bath every single day! Once, it felt so good that I almost drowned!"

Heinrich suppressed a chortle. It was something he could easily imagine happening.

"Anyway…" Sylph said, lowering her voice. "So you like living in a place like this? You think it's convenient to be travelling with Mary?"

"Definitely," Heinrich said. "If it wasn't for her, I never would have gone on a journey like this in the first place."

Sylph grinned, seeming satisfied. "Alrighty then. I'd like to have a bath as well, there should be plenty of room for me in there."

"Sure, go ahead," Heinrich said, not thinking anything of the request.

Sylph flew towards the bathroom, opened the door with surprising strength and closed it behind her.

Heinrich closed his eyes and let himself simply relax. It had been a very long and draining day. It was difficult for him to even stay awake.

Suddenly, Heinrich heard clapping. He opened his eyes to see Sylph right in front of his face.

"Okay, we're both done!" Sylph announced. "Mary went to bed already. Now it's your turn!"

Heinrich got to his feet, yawned, and went to the bathroom. In hindsight, considering Sylph's past behaviour, he really should have known better. But his tired mind wasn't capable of suspicion.

When he opened the door, Heinrich immediately felt all of his fatigue vanish.

Mary was still in the bathroom. She was, of course, not wearing anything. Her wet skin gleamed softly in the lamplight. She had relaxed so much that her human disguise was undone and purple tentacles spilled over the rim of the bathtub.

For a few seconds, Mary didn't notice anything. She had her eyes closed and was humming to herself. For these few seconds, Heinrich couldn't take his eyes off of her body. Her monstrous features should have repulsed him – but right now, he felt a different kind of emotion.

Then Mary opened her eyes and caught sight of the open door – and the person standing within. She froze. For the next few seconds, Heinrich wished that he was anywhere else but here. If he were offered the option of going to hell in exchange for being able to escape, he would have accepted it gladly.

Then the world started moving again.

"Wh – Wh – Wh – What are you doing!?" Mary screamed, blushing to the tips of her ears. "What – don't tell me you want to – "

"I'm sorry – Sylph said you were – I'm sorry!" Heinrich shouted.

With speed that a harpy would envy, Heinrich stepped back and slammed the door shut. He marched towards Sylph, his entire body shaking.

"Huh? That's weird," Sylph said, looking confused. "The 'Accidentally-peeking-on-them-in-the-bath' trick should have worked – gak!"

Before Sylph could say anything more, Heinrich grabbed her in his hand. He said, through gritted teeth, "I am _never_ listening to anything you say, ever again."

Then he stormed off to his room, threw himself into bed and tried to banish the images from his mind.

The images stayed in his mind the entire night.

-ooo-

After two more weeks, the situation in San Ilia had improved greatly.

It was no longer possible to see multiple rats simply by stepping outside. Instead, the aloof figures of cats were now a common sight. The cats had been imported from other cities and towns and they'd made short work of the rat population. The churches were cleared out and now being used as places of worship again. The many abandoned houses were being repaired and migrants from a range of locations were moving into them.

Of course, a few people still caught the plague, just as a few people would always catch any other disease. But unlike before, it was well within the capacity of the local healers to handle.

And the main sign that the city had recovered was something that made Sylph jump for joy. It was, of course, her festival.

Heinrich and Mary visited one of the city squares. In the centre of the square there was a huge banner with the words "Sylph Festival". A swarm of fairies performed a series of fast-paced dances, earning them riotous applause. Travelling minstrels walked around, playing on wind instruments like flutes and singing songs about Sylph. Market stalls sold a range of Sylph-related goods, including dolls that were somewhat similar in shape and remarkably similar in size to the wind spirit.

The moment she saw the festival through Heinrich's eyes, Sylph exclaimed, _Hooray! They're still holding this festival here, and it looks amazing!_

 _You can't come out now_ , Heinrich thought, a little more forcefully than needed. Two weeks wasn't long enough for him to forget what Sylph had done. _You'll cause total chaos if everyone sees you now. Just stay here._

 _I know, I know,_ Sylph replied. _Still, it's nice to see it in person._

Mary shook her head slowly. "Hey, I might be wrong about this, but wasn't one of Ilias' commandments to not worship anyone else?" She asked under her breath.

"No, you're right, it's the fourth one: 'Thou shalt not rely on other gods'," Heinrich answered.

 _I know it sounds a little odd, but people have been worshipping me for a while now_ , Sylph explained. _I've got worshippers all throughout this region. They pray to me for things like calming storms and moving ships around. And because people can come to my forest to see me in person, whereas Ilias almost never shows herself, there's people who worship me even here._

 _Huh, that does make sense_ , Heinrich thought.

After buying one of the dolls for Sylph to play with, they continued exploring the city. Everyone they saw was filled with joyous relief at the calamity that had struck them finally being over. Some of the people they recognised. Heinrich spotted Cervantes working on one of the abandoned buildings, now with no signs of flea bites or plague infection.

There was one awkward moment, though. The two of them passed by a public bathhouse, outside which stood a servant who called out to everyone in the street, telling them that the bathhouse was a wonderful place to get together and socialise. When that happened, Heinrich and Mary quickly sped up their pace while not meeting each other's eyes.

All in all, it had been an exhausting but very much satisfying month in San Ilia. There was little more they could do to help at this point, so they decided to finally leave the city and move on. Heinrich would miss the large house, but it would be better used as accommodation for someone else.

They headed for the city gate. Unsurprisingly, Mary stopped at half the food stalls along the way to satisfy her hunger. They discussed where they would be going next.

"Port Natalia, definitely," Mary said. "Taking a ship would be the quickest way to either the Ilias Continent or to the Safina region. And neither of us has been on a ship before, so it'll be a new experience, whereas we've already done more walking than most people do in their entire lives."

"That does sound like a good idea," Heinrich said. "Although – didn't you say you didn't want anything to do with the Ilias continent?"

"I did, but, well…" Mary said. "After so long in this city, talking to the people here, I've come to understand that believing in Ilias definitely doesn't make you a bad person. People can believe for all sorts of reasons, many of which are perfectly good reasons. I never thought I'd say this before, but… there's some good things in Ilias' teachings. To be clear, only _some_."

"I see," Heinrich said, happy at Mary's growth. "Well, we'll make up our minds once we get there."

They arrived at the gate. It was far more crowded than before, with masses of people moving in and out of the city. They actually needed to wait for several minutes before they could leave.

Finally, they stepped out and headed to their next destination, under a clear sky.

-ooo-

In a room within the Monster Lord's Castle, two monsters sat at a table and played chess.

One was a vampire. She had shoulder-length blonde hair, crimson eyes and deathly-pale skin. Her clothing was black with red lining and exposed a considerable amount of her skin. She had what looked like a cloak draped over her shoulders, but it was in fact part of her body. This cloak was a trait common to vampires. Leaning against her chair was a staff.

The other was a succubus. Like others of her race, she had a pair of curved horns on her head, wings like those of a bat, and a spaded tail. Her hair was a vivid purple, as were her eyes and the membranes of her wings. She wore a leotard along with long gloves and boots, all black with purple decorations.

Currently, the succubus was losing, something that was very apparent from the frustration on her face. She stared at the board and her pieces intently. Eventually, she moved one of her two remaining pawns forward, apparently hoping to promote it to a queen and turn things around.

The vampire smiled. She picked up her queen and said, "Because you did that, my queen can now move here and – _checkmate_. I win again, Kokka."

Kokka widened her eyes and quickly observed every piece on the board, but it was no use. There was no way for her king to escape. With a roar of frustration, she knocked the board to the floor, sending pieces scattering everywhere.

"Dammit, Kurobara!" Kokka said. "How the hell did you win again!?"

"The key to victory is to avoid showing your thoughts on your face," Kurobara replied calmly. "If you can't do that, your opponent can easily tell what strategy you're planning."

Kurobara then waved her fingers idly. The chessboard and chess pieces floated into the air and returned to the table. All of the pieces were moved back to their starting positions, with not a single one out of place. This was a feat of magical precision that would leave most in awe, especially since she did it without her staff, but neither she nor Kokka paid any attention to it.

Kokka clenched her fists. "There's no way you could have won every single time," she said.

"And I assure you, I was playing fairly every single time," Kurobara replied. "But if it's a fight you're interested in – "

The two high-ranking monsters glared at each other, gathering mana within their bodies. Kokka spread her wings while Kurobara raised her staff and wrapped herself in her cloak. The sheer presence they gave off would have made most other monsters run screaming from the room.

Before they could proceed further, they heard the sound of people approaching. Specifically, there was the rhythmic pattern of footsteps and the faint sound of something heavy sliding across the floor. They quickly relaxed and turned towards the door.

A lamia and a human man entered the room. The lamia had dark brown skin and dark eyes, and short white hair from which several hissing snakes emerged. Her serpentine lower half, which was so long that it took several seconds to completely enter the room, was black on the dorsal surface and pale blue on the ventral surface. She wore a skimpy black top and a short skirt. The man had black hair and blue eyes and was quite heavily-muscled. He wore dark red pants and no shirt. Both of them had dishevelled clothing and were breathing heavily, making it obvious what they had just been up to.

The lamia looked at the other two monsters and said, "Come on, not again! Don't you remember what happened the last time you fought? It's just chess!"

"I'm sorry, Kokuja, I don't know what came over me," Kurobara said.

"I'm sorry too – but more importantly, are you two done yet?" Kokka said, a lustful gleam in her eyes.

Kokuja grinned, running her long tongue over her lips. "Yep, he's all yours."

Kokka practically threw herself at the man, grabbing his arm and holding it tightly to her chest. The succubus purred, "So, Zack, you ready for this?"

Zack put on an expression of mock fear. "Actually, I – I think I might not be able to handle it," he said. "P – Please, go easy on me!"

The act was so obvious that it fooled no one. Indeed, Kurobara and Kokuja had to stifle a laugh. Zack didn't even bother trying to struggle – not that it would have helped, as despite the difference in their physiques Kokka was actually stronger than him. Still, Kokka went along with it. Coiling her tail around Zack's leg, she leaned in and said, "No chance in hell. I'm going to drain _everything_ you have."

The succubus left the room with Zack. Kokuja shut the door, to keep out any unwanted sounds, then leaned against a wall and stretched out her tail.

"Ahhh… not a bad way to start the day," Kokuja said. She then looked at Kurobara. "You know, it might help if you tried to teach her what she's doing wrong."

"I am doing that," Kurobara insisted. "In fact, she has been getting better. She still isn't at the point where she can beat me yet, but it's taking me longer and longer each time to beat her." She then decided to change the subject. "Anyway, did you hear about what's happening down in the Gold region? About the Nereneids?"

"Yeah, if I remember correctly, they were acting up again," Kokuja said. "Damn them, are they ever going to quit? And I can't believe anyone's willing to follow those – those sorry excuses for monsters. Hmm… by any chance, do you think the three of us might be sent out to handle the situation?"

"There's zero chance of that," Kurobara scoffed. "No matter how abhorrent their philosophy may be, their power is the real thing. Only the Monster Lord or her family could pick a fight with them."

As she said that, Kurobara thought about someone she knew. Someone whom everyone in the castle knew, really, though Kurobara and her friends were closer to her than most. The three of them were a ragtag group – vampire, succubus and lamia – but they had all made the same pledge. To be _her_ knights once she took the throne.

"Wait, what's wrong?" Kokuja asked.

"Nothing," Kurobara replied. "Just wondering when Mary will be back."

* * *

 **AN: I took a bit of artistic license with this chapter. There are claims that, in real life, purges of cats (and the resulting effect on rats) were one cause for the Black Death. However, other sources claim that this wasn't the case: there were no purges of cats, and cats themselves can be infected with plague and transmit it to humans. I went with this option because it made the resolution easier.**

 **Sylph has some pretty screwed-up ideas of romance, doesn't she? In this fic, let's just say that she reads the same kinds of books that Mary originally got her idea of seduction techniques from. The kinds of books that you should never, ever use as a guideline in real life.**

 **For those who don't know, the three monsters in the final part are the Three Nobles of Black, introduced in Part 2 of Paradox. They are described as the confidants of Black Alice and only appear in a parallel world set 500 years in the past. And if you think their names seem out of place, don't blame me, that's what they're called in canon.**


	14. Chapter 13: Setting Sail

**AN: It's a bit delayed, but here's a chapter for Christmas. This is the last chapter of the second arc and also the last chapter for this year.**

* * *

Heinrich wiped the sweat off his face. It was a fruitless endeavour, as more appeared within a few minutes, but he couldn't stop himself.

The heat wasn't what he had grown up expecting from the end of winter. But that was what it meant to be in the tropics.

In the time since they'd left San Ilia, Heinrich had continued his training with Sylph each day. He'd improved to the point that he could maintain the barrier of wind for several minutes at a time and even create weak gusts of wind to blow small objects around. Nothing that would be helpful in a real fight, but it was encouraging progress nonetheless.

They arrived at Port Natalia in the afternoon. The coastal town wasn't as big as San Ilia but it was still reasonably large. The air was filled with the salty scent of the sea. As one might expect, the monsters here were mainly of the sea-dwelling kind. In addition to the fish-tailed mermaids, there were: scyllas, who had the lower bodies of octopi or squid; Crab Girls, who had the lower bodies of giant crabs and operated various bathhouses in the city, as their crab mouths could produce bubbles that were excellent for washing; Sea Slug Girls, marine cousins to Slug Girls who had even slimier skin; and many others.

As was usual when the two of them arrived at a new place – that wasn't going through some kind of crisis – Mary made a beeline for the food stalls. The cuisine on offer naturally included a lot of seafood, including dishes that Heinrich had never seen before, such as noodles flavoured with squid ink or boiled sea cucumber. There were also plenty of other kinds of food, which made sense given that people and goods from all over the world passed through this town.

While Mary was munching her way through a mountain of fried fish, she turned to Heinrich and asked, "Come to think of it, in all the time we've been together, you never told me your birthday. When is it?"

"Back where I grew up, we didn't celebrate birthdays," Heinrich said. "I have heard of them being celebrated in other cultures. I actually had my eighteenth birthday last week. So monsters celebrate their birthdays?"

"What – last week!?" Mary said in shock. "I can't believe you didn't mention that!" She shook her head in disbelief. "To answer your question, not all monsters do, but it is a tradition on Hellgondo. My birthday was in April. But you really should have told me this earlier, I haven't even gotten you a present!"

"You don't have to go to all that trouble," Heinrich said quickly. "Is getting one year older really something that important?"

Mary looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, I guess it's not really important in the grand scheme of things," she said, "but that doesn't matter! I'm getting you a present, and that's that!"

Sylph joined in the conversation, telling Heinrich that one should never turn down free presents, so Heinrich eventually agreed. Mary then began taking him around to various different shops to see what kind of present he'd like.

The search for Heinrich's present ended up being surprisingly eventful. The most noteworthy incident was when they went into a shop that was "an ideal gift for the young man" according to the woman at the front. Heinrich had been suspicious of the shop's nature, due to the woman's rather skimpy clothing and her suggestive tone of voice, but Mary was too excited to notice these signs. Heinrich's suspicions were confirmed when it turned out to be a brothel, one with both human and monster prostitutes. Suffice to say, they had left very quickly and refused to speak of it again.

Eventually, they ended up in a tailor's shop. Mary decided that Heinrich could really do with a new set of clothes. After half an hour of searching and choosing, they were done.

Heinrich's new outfit consisted of: a brown shirt with a golden pattern resembling the outline of a sun; red shoulder-guards; a red cape; a pouch attached to his left thigh; and black gloves.

"This looks – it looks pretty good," Heinrich said, examining himself in the mirror.

"Were you expecting me to choose something horrible-looking?" Mary asked, her hands on her hips.

"No, I definitely wasn't thinking anything like that," Heinrich said.

The two of them looked at each other for a few seconds, then burst out laughing. They then left the shop, though Heinrich took off his cape and gloves first. The cape stood out too much and could get caught on something, while the gloves were too hot to wear in this weather.

While walking along the street, Heinrich thought about how Mary had just paid for his new clothes and equipment. It was quite a considerable sum of money, given the quality of the goods. And she'd been paying for everything since the very beginning of their journey, including giving money to Heinrich to spend. She hadn't worried about this at all, throwing away coins like water, but Heinrich still felt bad at how much he was in debt to her.

While they explored the town, they listened to the conversations of passers-by. One issue that many talked about was a drought in Sabasa, the capital city of the Safina region to the west. It had apparently been going on for months and was causing serious trouble for farmers. Upon hearing this, the two of them decided that their next destination should be the Safina region.

"It's a tough decision, but I think that this is the best option," Mary said. "We can't delay if there are people in need. And we can always go to the Ilias Continent another time."

"That's true," Heinrich said. "Besides, even if your mother told you to travel around the world to learn more about it, I doubt she wanted you to literally visit every part of the world."

They headed towards the docks, where dozens upon dozens of ships floated at their moorings. The sheer number and size of ships was astounding to Heinrich, who'd never seen anything bigger than a large boat before. Countless humans and monsters streamed on and off the ships, along with tonnes of cargo in crates and barrels.

After a little asking around, they found a ship that was headed for Sabasa and was going to set sail the very next morning. They booked passage on this ship. They then headed to an inn to stay for the night.

Dinner was, as usual, an asymmetric affair with Mary eating several times the amount that Heinrich did. They then headed off to bed. Sylph seemed to have learned her lesson since she didn't say anything.

-ooo-

The next morning they headed back to the docks. The wind was favourable according to the crew, something that Sylph treated as a personal compliment, and they set sail on schedule.

Heinrich walked all around the ship, taking in the sights. While he was doing this, Mary went off on her own to talk to the other passengers. The ship had three masts, the central one having two sails while the fore and aft masts had one sail each. There were two decks, with the first and upper one containing the cabins for crew and passengers while the second and lower one was where supplies and cargo were stored. There were about ten passengers in total and several times that many crew members – the ship's main purpose was transporting cargo, with transporting people being a side business. The crew was a mix of humans of monsters, with the latter consisting of both flying monsters and sea monsters. The former could easily fly up and down the masts to handle the sails, while the latter could easily catch fish and perform any repair work on the outside of the ship's hull.

Once he was done exploring the ship itself, Heinrich headed to the edge and looked out over the railing, taking in the wondrous sight of the endless sea. The ever-shifting surface of the water combined with the bright morning sun to produce a mesmerising pattern of light. Waves crashed and broke incessantly, sending white spray into the air. Occasionally, animals such as sharks or dolphins could be glimpsed beneath the surface of the water, following the ship out of what seemed to be curiosity.

The wind out at sea was stronger than on land, thanks to the lack of obstacles to hinder it. Heinrich decided to try practicing with Sylph again. He first closed his eyes and opened his mind to the flow of the wind. The sheer power of the wind was almost overwhelming at first, but he soon grew accustomed to it. He then tried manipulating the wind. It was more difficult than simply creating the wind barrier, with one in five attempts being a failure, but he was able to create small gusts that stirred up similarly small waves in the water.

Heinrich's practice with the wind attracted the attention of some of the other passengers and the crew. One of the latter category, a harpy, was able to offer some tips on using the power of the wind. One point she emphasised was the importance of imagining yourself moving in three dimensions rather than two, just like the wind.

After an hour of practice, Heinrich was physically and mentally exhausted. He sat down and took a welcome drink of water.

 _You're making great progress, Heinrich_ , Sylph said.

 _Thanks_ , Heinrich replied. _But to be honest, I can't help thinking I'm too slow. I know, it's unreasonable to expect to master something in just a few months – I've been practicing with the sword for_ years _and I'm still not that good with it – but it bothers me._

 _Oh, you don't need to worry about that, just take it easy and learn at your own pace_ , Sylph said. She paused, then continued, _I need to talk to you about the – what do they call it again? – the Behemoth in the room._

 _Elephant in the room_ , Heinrich corrected.

 _Right, elephant_ , Sylph said. _Anyway, I need to talk to you about your relationship with Mary. Don't worry, I'm not going to tease you this time. First of all, just what do you think about her? Where do you see the two of you being in, say, a year from now?_

Heinrich was surprised at these questions, which were much more insightful than he expected from Sylph.

 _After that incident with the bath, I decided to learn more about romance and so I started reading some of the books in Mary's cabinet, the more serious ones, the ones that aren't meant to be stories_ , Sylph explained.

 _I see. In that case, to answer your question…_ Heinrich closed his eyes, thinking. _Right now, we might end up going to the Ilias Continent after Sabasa, or maybe we'll go to the Gold region instead. It's not set in stone. But… I guess that wasn't an answer. To give you a proper answer, I – I really don't know. The logical next destination would be for her to go to Hellgondo – but I don't know if I would still be at her side then._

 _I think that you can – in fact, you should be by her side_ , Sylph said. _And I know what you're worried about, but that won't be a problem. In the first place, monsters don't really care about the status of the men they marry –_

Even though he was partly expecting it, Heinrich nearly fell over in shock at the word "marriage".

 _– Well, at least monsters from Hellgondo don't, since there's not really that many men to choose from. Monsters that live in human towns might be different, but that's not important to this. The point is that there is nothing stopping the two of you from being together. Just remember that, okay?_

After this, Heinrich didn't hear anything more from Sylph. He leaned on the railing and looked out at the sea, thinking.

-ooo-

On the third day of the voyage, something strange happened.

It was a beautiful morning. The ship was moving at a steady pace thanks to a favourable wind. Heinrich was on the deck on the time and hence was among the first to notice. He felt a slight disturbance on the wind, of a type that he had never sensed before. He looked around, but there was nothing but clear sea in every direction. Then he realised that the disturbance was coming from the surface of the sea. Looking more closely, he noticed a faint rippling, one that was almost undetectable against the usual waves.

The sea monsters in the crew were beginning to notice as well. They gathered at the edge of the deck, watching the sea warily. One of them, a mermaid named Cypris, said, "Something's coming up fast! Grab onto something!"

Heinrich grabbed the railing, just in time. In the next moment, several long and dark objects shot up out of the sea and landed on the deck. The entire ship tilted, causing anyone who wasn't holding on to something to lose their balance.

 _Quick, Heinrich, use my power!_ Sylph called out urgently.

 _Don't need to tell me that twice!_ Heinrich thought. He focused on the voices of the wind and, in a few seconds, formed the wind into a barrier around his body. He also strengthened his body with magic.

Numerous scyllas were emerging from the sea, rapidly climbing the ship's hull with their sucker-lined tentacles, and landing on the deck. They were all armed, their hands and tentacles holding daggers, short swords and many other weapons. They wore no clothing, likely because it would just be a hindrance in the sea.

One scylla, who was slightly larger than the rest and gave off an authoritative air, shouted, "Attack! A ship this big will have plenty of loot! Any man you catch, you get to keep!"

The scylla pirates charged, but the ship's crew were far from helpless. They picked up knives, fish hooks, clubs, anything that would suffice as a weapon, and met the pirates in a chaotic melee.

Since Heinrich was on the side of the ship where the pirates were boarding, he was surrounded by them. But thanks to his training and experience, he was able to keep his composure. He drew his sword and dashed towards the nearest pirate. Before he could reach her, though, tentacles coiled around him from behind, pinning his arms to his sides.

"Heh, a brave one, aren't ya?" said the pirate behind him. "You aren't bad looking either – "

Heinrich didn't hear anything beyond that, as Mary came to the rescue. Spears of ice shot through the air, accurately piercing through only the scylla pirates while leaving Heinrich unharmed. Mary rushed in and pulled Heinrich to his feet.

"You okay!?" she asked.

"I am!" Heinrich replied. He looked at the large objects that were weighing the ship down and realised that they were in fact immense tentacles. "What the hell is that!?"

"It's something that most people rarely see any more – a primordial monster," Mary said, while preparing a powerful spell that caused the tip of her staff to glow bright blue. "Some think they're the failed creations of the Founder, but that's not important right now. Primordial monsters aren't intelligent like proper monsters, they're basically mindless beasts, but they are definitely powerful. I'll handle this, you help fight off the others!"

After saying this, Mary unleashed a massive lightning bolt, over the edge of the deck and at the main body of the primordial monster. The tentacles retracted while flailing around, forcing Heinrich to drop to the deck to avoid being hit, and the ship returned to its normal orientation with a lurch. Then Mary leaped over the side. Heinrich was worried for her, but he forced himself to join the battle on the ship.

The scylla pirates had scattered all over the deck. Heinrich ran towards the nearest one, who was currently about to finish off one of the mermaid crew, and slashed at her back while she was distracted. The pirate collapsed, a shocking amount of blood pouring from the wound. Heinrich was sickened at the sight – he'd seen even more blood when Mary had saved him just now, but it was one thing to see a person die and another thing entirely to kill a person himself.

"Are you hurt? Do you need any help?" Heinrich asked the mermaid, forcing down his revulsion.

"I'll live, nothing vital was hit," the mermaid said, holding her hand to a wound on her tail. "Go help the others!"

Heinrich moved on. He attacked other pirates while they were in the middle of fighting others. It might have been considered a cowardly tactic by some, but Heinrich knew that he would have trouble against a combat-experienced monster in a fair fight. Occasionally, a weapon or a tentacle would swing towards him, but the barrier of wind would divert it just enough for Heinrich to avoid getting hit.

The ship was struck by a powerful impact, the resulting vibration causing Heinrich and many others to stumble. Heinrich looked back and saw flashes of lightning and the lashing tentacles of the primordial monster.

 _Please win, Mary!_ Heinrich thought desperately. _You're the only one who can possibly beat that thing!_

Heinrich returned to fighting the pirates. The battle had now reached the point where there were casualties on both sides. The bodies of sailor and pirate alike littered the deck. Heinrich felt the wind of each and every casualty grow weaker and weaker until it vanished, from all around him. He nearly doubled over – it was like watching the night sky and seeing the stars disappear one by one. He forced himself to continue.

Eventually, Heinrich found himself face to face with the leader of the scylla pirates, the one who'd announced the attack. She wielded a curved sword in one hand, a dagger in the other hand, and two more daggers in two of her tentacles. Like the other pirates, she wore no clothes.

"You've been running around doing a whole lot, haven't ya?" the pirate captain said. "That's the power of wind you're using – pretty good with it, though you could get a lot better with practice. Say, what do you think about joining my crew?"

"What?" Heinrich said, playing along. "Why the hell would you think that I'd ever – "

The scylla swung one of her dagger-holding tentacles at Heinrich. Since he didn't let down his guard when they started talking, he was able to parry the attack. At virtually the same time, the scylla attacked with her other dagger-holding tentacle. Thanks to his training with Mary, Heinrich was used to such feints and he was able to just barely avoid the attack by jumping back.

But that was the limit for him. The scylla charged forward, swinging her sword with ferocious speed. Heinrich's magic enhancement meant his mind was just fast enough to perceive the shining steel rushing towards his heart, but his body was off-balance from jumping backwards. He couldn't avoid this attack.

In the instant before he would die, Heinrich saw his life flash before his eyes. Growing up an orphan, never getting along with the others. Mary entering his life, the first spot of sunshine in his dreary existence, and them beginning their journey together. Meeting monsters in person and having his long-held beliefs challenged. Stumbling upon the ruined village, learning of the unintended consequences that sparing criminals could have, and a broken Mary revealing the truth of her identity. Rebuilding their relationship afterwards, and continuing their journey.

As he reached the present, Heinrich thought of Mary still fighting, singlehandedly, against the primordial monster.

 _I can't – let it end here!_

As that thought entered his head, Heinrich reached out to the wind and allowed it to _rampage_.

A powerful gust of wind threw back the scylla, slamming her against a mast. She dropped her weapons and keeled over, vomiting.

 _Great work, Heinrich!_ Sylph said. _If you can do this, I think you can also manage the next step! Now, give yourself over to the wind, listen to its voice, play with it!_

Heinrich did as instructed. Soon, he felt a new sensation. The wind was no longer just blowing around his body, it felt like it had become an extension of his body. He felt as his body was completely weightless, as if he could move as fast as a powerful gale with a single step. And when Heinrich looked around, he realised that everything was moving more slowly, as though through water. No, that wasn't right – everything else was moving at the same speed as before, he was the one who was faster!

 _That's it!_ Sylph said. _Right now, you can think and move at three times the speed as before! With more practice, you'll be even faster!_

Heinrich was amazed, but there was no time for him to rejoice in his newfound power. The scylla pirate captain had recovered and picked up her weapons. She charged once more – but in Heinrich's current perspective, she might as well have been walking. He dodged with ease and slashed with his own sword at the scylla's neck. He hit his target accurately but felt far more resistance than normal – it was like trying to hack through a tree. Heinrich quickly pulled his sword out and avoided the resulting spray of blood.

 _What – what was that!?_ Heinrich thought, struggling to keep himself together after ending another life.

 _You have to be careful when using this power,_ Sylph explained. _It makes you faster by making you lighter, so your attacks won't have the same force to them. You'll need to fight in a completely different way, by only grazing enemies with the tip of your sword. Also, keep in mind that if you do get hit, you'll be sent flying!_

 _Got it_ , Heinrich replied.

With his incredible boost in speed, Heinrich was able to completely turn the tide of the battle. He darted all over the ship, taking down pirates with quick slashes to the neck that inflicted shallow but lethal wounds. However, using the power of the wind in this manner was as exhausting as sprinting with all his might. After fighting for what felt like just thirty seconds, he could no longer hold on to the power of the wind. His body became even heavier than before and he staggered to a stop.

Heinrich heard someone approaching. He looked up and raised his sword, only to realise that it was one of the sailors, a human man.

The sailor quickly stepped back and said, "It's alright, they're all down!"

Heinrich looked around. All of the pirates were either dead or had fled into the sea. He quickly rushed over to the edge of the deck, only for Mary to jump out of the sea and land beside him. She was drenched in seawater but otherwise was unharmed. The primordial monster she had been fighting was a different story: it floated on the sea's surface, unmoving, and its flesh was charred black. Now that he had a good look at it, Heinrich realised that it was an immense octopus, on par with the average house in size.

"Looks like – looks like you handled things up here," Mary said, panting. She lowered her voice and continued, "I could feel you using Sylph's power from down there, congratulations."

There wasn't time for her to say anything more, as the ship's crew approached the two of them. Heinrich felt nervous – the situation reminded him of unpleasant moments in his childhood when other children had bullied him.

"That was incredible!"

"How did you do that?"

"You saved my life, thanks!"

Heinrich blinked. He felt a little dizzy at receiving so much praise. He looked at Mary for help, but she merely pushed him forward. Together, the two of them accepted the gratitude of the crew.

-ooo-

As a reward for their contribution to the defence of the ship, Heinrich and Mary were treated to a sumptuous feast in the captain's cabin, a feast that received the full attention of the ship's cook and was served with the finest of whiskey. It was the first time Heinrich ever drank alcohol and the whiskey burned in his throat, but he was able to keep it down. Aside from that, Heinrich had received more handshakes than he could count, not to mention the slaps on the back, the hugs, the requests for marriage – well, suffice to say that it was an unprecedented experience. The closest thing to this was working to stop the plague in San Ilia, and that was more of an internal satisfaction at doing the right thing – the people he passed information to didn't see the benefits of this information until after some time, so Heinrich didn't receive their personal gratitude like he did now.

Long after night had fallen, Heinrich stumbled out of the cabin and onto the deck. His legs were still shaking from the intensity of the celebrations. Looking around, he saw that the damage caused by the pirate attack had mostly been repaired. He remembered how he and Mary had offered to help out but had been firmly refused by the crew, who didn't want their saviours to bother with such work.

Heinrich looked at the moonlit sea. It wasn't the first or the second time he'd seen it, but he still considered the sight to be magnificent. That ever-shifting mixture of white and deep blue was something he could watch forever and never tire of.

He heard the sound of footsteps. He knew who it was without turning around.

"Did you have fun?" Mary asked, walking up and stopping right beside Heinrich.

"I did," Heinrich said. "Just trying to relax a little after all that."

The two of them remained silent for a while, just watching the sea together. It was an easy thing to do. The gentle sound of the waves was peaceful and soothing.

Mary was the one to break the silence. "You know, I never told you more about that primordial monster that attacked the ship," she said. "If I remember correctly, it's called a Kraken. Not to be confused with a Kraken Girl, which is a specific kind of powerful scylla. I've only ever heard of primordial monsters in and around Hellgondo, and they're far from common there – today is the first time I actually saw one in person. I wouldn't have expected a gang of pirates this far south to have access to one."

"That does sound weird," Heinrich said. "If monsters like that showed up often, everyone would know about them."

"From what I remember, modern monsters used to organise hunts to cull the populations as much as possible," Mary said. "It was because primordial monsters are a threat to everyone, and so they're bad for our public image. I'm guessing those pirates were lucky enough to find one skulking around at the bottom of the sea, and tamed it for their use." She then looked at Heinrich and pouted. "I know you're worried about something. You can tell me."

It seemed that Heinrich couldn't hide anything from her. For some reason, that didn't feel wrong to him.

"You're right, I am worried," Heinrich said. "It's just – I don't get how we're celebrating even though people died, including some of the people on this ship."

"Mmm… to answer that, I need to explain something I was taught a few years ago, though I didn't realise its meaning until recently," Mary said. "It's about how people can't function without at least some happiness. Even if times are sad and it looks like there's no hope, you need at least a little time when you can just get away from it all and relax. The example I heard was about people in the middle of a bloody war who came up with these wonderful songs, and sang them to each other, to take their minds off what was happening around them. And – and there's also the fact that people who sail ships for a living, or do other harsh jobs, tend to be used to death. Remember that story we heard yesterday?"

Heinrich did remember. One of the sailors had been talking about a past voyage and casually mentioned three people dying in a tropical storm. He spoke about it with the same tone as someone who'd stubbed their toe: it was a painful experience, but they had to bear with it and get on with their life.

"That does make sense. But there's one more thing," Heinrich said. He raised his hand to show that it was shaking – and not because of the alcohol. He didn't need to say anything more.

"I understand. You really like to come up with hard questions to answer, don't you?" Mary said. "Well… first of all, I have to say this: you're not alone. You were there for me, and I'm here for you."

"Thanks. It's just…" Heinrich said, trying to think of the words. "Because of me, there are people who won't ever be able to think or talk or laugh or – or do anything ever again. I know, logically, that it doesn't make any sense for me to worry. If I hadn't fought back with all I had, I'd be – well, you'd still have been able to stop the pirates on your own, but a lot more people would be dead. It's just displacing the responsibility – any pirate I hadn't killed would have been killed by you or one of the sailors. But I – "

Suddenly, Sylph popped out of Heinrich. She said, "There's no one who can see or hear us, so don't worry. Now, I also know a little about this kind of stuff, you mind me joining in?"

"No, go ahead," Heinrich replied.

"Okay, so I know I don't give this kind of impression, but I've actually lived a pretty long time," Sylph said. "I mentioned this when we first met, but I've contracted with other humans before. Now, they weren't just borrowing my power for party tricks, they used it to fight. You get what I'm saying? This isn't the first time my power has been used to help kill someone."

Heinrich and Mary exchanged looks. A history like this was genuinely surprising, given her usual behaviour.

"And I get the same feeling as you do, Heinrich, of people's wind disappearing as they die," Sylph said. "If anything, it's even stronger for me since I'm more used to sensing the wind. And I feel the same thing each and every day, animals and plants dying constantly. Because of all this, I'm used to death. Remember that thing Mary said about people needing happiness in their lives? I – well, I usually don't get sayings like that, but this one I do." She paused, then added, "Anyway, does that help, Heinrich?"

"It does, thanks," Heinrich said. "You know, I've really misjudged you, Sylph. I thought you were – well, you know, but now I'm starting to see you in a new light."

"Hey, it's alright, most of what you think is actually right!" Sylph said.

They laughed about this for a while.

Mary said, now using a more serious tone, "To be honest, I've been thinking about this issue myself. It's one thing to fight to kill when you're up against people who are trying to kill you or someone you're trying to protect. But what about when the situation isn't that clear? What if you're facing someone who kills because they have no other choice to survive? What if you're facing someone who has good intentions but you know their actions will lead to terrible results? What are you supposed to do then?"

Heinrich thought about this for a while, before turning to Mary and looking into her eyes. "I know you'll have to deal with problems like that as Monster Lord," he said. "There's not much I can do to help you with them, but – I just want you to know that, wherever you go, I'll be by your side."

After a few seconds, Heinrich realised how these words could be interpreted. Or rather, the _only_ way in which they could be interpreted. Both he and Mary froze. They stayed like that, looking into each other's eyes, until Sylph coughed. The two of them jumped apart.

"Wait, I wasn't trying to interrupt you," Sylph said. "I'm just going to tell you that I'm going all the way over there, where I'm _not_ going to listen to anything you happen to talk about. I'll also make sure that no one else bothers you. So, um – good luck!"

And with that, Sylph zoomed off.

Left alone, Heinrich was positively burning with embarrassment. _What on earth possessed me to say something like – like that!?_ He thought. _Why couldn't I have said something like "Wherever you go, I'm sure you'll do a good job" or "Your family will be there to help you"? Why, out of all the_ hundreds _of possibilities, did it have to be that!?_

Suddenly, Mary grabbed Heinrich's shoulders. Her face was just as red as his, but it also had a distinct look of resolution.

"You… did you mean that?" Mary asked.

Heinrich was completely unable to formulate any words. He nodded.

Mary let go and averted her eyes, looking back at the moonlit sea. She didn't say anything else for an entire minute. She eventually murmured, "You know, we've been through a whole lot together. If it was turned into a story, most people wouldn't believe it."

"That's true," Heinrich said, unsure what she was trying to say.

"I mean, the daughter of the Monster Lord goes out and meets a follower of Ilias in the middle of human territory, they decide to go out on a journey together, and they – ah, what am I even saying!?" Mary said, shaking her head. "I'm not going to avoid the subject any more, we've been doing that long enough! Heinrich! I love you!"

Heinrich froze when he heard these words. It was only his body that was still, however. His mind was a different story.

 _What – what – how – did she just – this has to be a dream – but –_

Mary was breathing heavily, her entire body shaking with embarrassment. She said, "W – Well? Say something!"

"I – I – I – I – I think it's too soon to – " Heinrich began, but then he mustered up every bit of his courage and said, "I love you too!"

This managed to make Mary blush even redder than she already was. From the volcanic heat in his face, Heinrich knew he was in the same situation. His confession had been loud enough that everyone else on the ship must have heard. He wanted to just jump overboard and let the sea take him – it would be a mercy compared to _this_. But before Heinrich could do anything reckless, Mary grabbed him and pulled him into a hug.

It wasn't the first time they had hugged, but the action now had an entirely different meaning. Heinrich was dumbfounded for a few seconds. Then he returned the hug.

"So… what are we supposed to do now?" Mary asked, her voice muffled.

"I'm just as lost as you are," Heinrich replied. "Umm, for now… we could do the same as always?"

"That sounds great," Mary said.

The two of them separated. They still had trouble meeting each other's eyes, but there was a new sense of understanding between them.

They didn't say anything more that night. They leaned on each other and watched the moonlit sea.


	15. Chapter 14: Unexpected Reunion

The two of them stepped off the ship and onto the dock. Heinrich took in a deep breath, his first taste of the air of the Safina region.

Port Safina was quite different to the other places that Heinrich had experienced. The people had skin darkened by the strong sun and wore long, loose clothing. The buildings were made from sandstone and many had colourful murals on their walls. The wind blowing through the city was hot and, unlike the wind in Port Natalia, extremely dry. But, like any major town or city, it was bustling with activity.

In one sense, Heinrich was glad to be off the ship. It wasn't that he suffered from seasickness or became bored of the experience – rather, it was because he wanted to get away from the merciless teasing from the ship's crew. In hindsight, he really shouldn't have confessed _that_ so loudly.

Anyway, the two of them explored the port town. They were led around by Mary's nose to a succession of food stalls where they sampled the local cuisine. They listened to the local gossip in the markets and bars. During this exploration, Heinrich saw many kinds of monsters that he hadn't seen before.

One had the lower body of an immense scorpion, covered in a gleaming black carapace, and scorpion pincers instead of arms. She walked down the street on her eight legs, seeking meat with an appetite that could rival Mary's.

Then there was a group of harpies, who had smaller wings and much more robust legs than the harpies he'd seen before. They were racing each other, running and leaping across the rooftops with incredible speed. Heinrich doubted that he could match their speed even with his current power over wind.

Then there was a reptilian monster with yellow-green scales, hands and feet tipped with claws and a long tail. Heinrich did hear about this type before: she was a dragonkin, a descendant of the ancient dragons. The dragonkin was examining the wares of a stall that sold knives and daggers.

And while they were exploring the town, the two of them were communicating with a method other than speech. They were using telepathy, a method which they had practiced extensively on the ship. The reason was that they would often need to talk about subjects that couldn't be overheard by others – mainly anything to do with Mary's secret identity – and telepathy was the most convenient method of achieving this. This method didn't cause them to reveal stray thoughts to each other, either – to send a telepathic message, it was necessary to picture the other person in one's head while they were thinking of the message. Of course, it was up to Mary to start and stop their telepathic link, since Heinrich had zero skill in this field of magic. On the other hand, Heinrich had only needed a few hours to learn how to communicate telepathically without seeming suspicious to others. Mary, in contrast, had taken several days, as she had difficulty getting rid of her habit of talking out loud when she was talking telepathically. Anyway, they were using telepathy to review their current situation and future plans.

 _Let's see… so our first destination is the capital city Sabasa, because of the drought there?_ Heinrich asked.

 _That's right_ , Mary said. _While it seems that it hasn't got to the point of lots of people dying yet, from what we've heard so far, it would be best to get there as soon as possible. We'll finish exploring the town by the end of the afternoon, have dinner, and then head off to Sabasa once it's evening and the air is cooler. That okay with you?_

 _Yes_ , Heinrich confirmed. _Then, if I remember correctly, the other places in the Safina region are: the great Pyramid that lies just to the west of Sabasa, the Oasis of Blessings which is a popular spot for travellers to rest, the town of Safar where the earth spirit Gnome lives and is worshipped –_

 _We have to go there!_ Sylph interjected. _It's been so long since I got to see Gnomey! And I'm sure you'll be able to get even more powerful if you make a contract with her as well!_

 _That's still not really set in stone_ , Heinrich said. _Didn't you mention before that it's really hard for a human to use the power of multiple spirits? I think it would be better if I fully mastered your power before trying out a second one._

 _Uhh… yeah, you're right about that,_ Sylph said. _There's been only one person before who had a contract with me and Gnome at the same time, and I've never heard of anyone with three – but still, I really think you should try it out!_

 _I'll think about that later_ , Heinrich said. _Anyway, going back to before, there's Sabasa, the Pyramid, the Oasis of Blessings, Safar, the small town of Saloon in the north part of Sabasa – actually, I think that's all there is. There's not a lot of places to visit in Safina, are there?_

 _No, there's definitely less than in the other regons_ , Mary said. _I'm guessing it's because of the harsh environment that means there's few places where many people can live together. And while desert monsters can survive out in the – well, the desert, they'd have to have large territories and live far apart from each other because of the lack of resources._

 _At this rate, it won't take us as long to visit everywhere as it did for the Noah and Natalia regions_ , Heinrich said. _It'll probably still be winter by the time we get to the Gold region._

With their plans more or less sorted out, the two of them stopped their discussion and focused on experiencing as much of Port Safina as possible.

At one point, Heinrich came to a small shop that seemed to sell anything and everything. It had creepy-looking dolls, pots containing unusually coloured powders, ceremonial weapons, all sorts of things. He thought of trying to find a gift for Mary for her next birthday. It was in one sense pointless given that he was using her money, but it was the thought that counted. There was one more problem, however. He wasn't sure what kind of gift would be the best.

After some thinking, Heinrich decided that it would be best to discreetly ask the person in question. He gestured to Mary to reopen the telepathic link and then said, _I know I've asked about this before, but what kind of life did you have back on Hellgondo?_

 _Hm? Oh, there's a lot I haven't told you about that!_ Mary said. She looked around, confirming that no one was watching, and continued, _Where should I start?_

Mary went off on a detailed description of her life as the heir to the Monster Lord title. She talked about her interactions with family, with friends, with acquaintances and with strangers. She talked for long enough that the two of them left the shop and went out into the street again. Heinrich took away two main points from this.

First, Mary had lived an unimaginably luxurious life by Heinrich's standards. She ate meals that were prepared by personal chefs and made with imported ingredients, wore clothes that were woven by master tailors and freshly laundered every day, regularly bathed in large baths full of hot water, and slept in beds that could comfortably fit half a dozen people. While some of this was expected for someone who was equivalent to a human crown princess, other aspects of this lifestyle, such as the bathing, were available to even the servants. It seemed that the ubiquitous use of magic allowed monsters – or at least the powerful ones – to live well. This made it more surprising that Mary had managed to adjust to the commoner's lifestyle so quickly, even if she did make a few mistakes.

Second, Mary used to casually interact with monsters that were legendary among humans. This, along with the previous point, was something he already knew, but it still surprised him. Dragons, Behemoths, Vampires, Yoma… and on top of this, the words "Queen-class" came up several times. In the stories that Heinrich had grown up listening to, these were the kinds of monsters that could singlehandedly level towns and which could only be slain by heroes blessed by Ilias. While those stories were obviously full of biases, the feats Mary had displayed suggested that they were accurate regarding the monsters' power.

Going back to the original topic, Heinrich still wasn't sure about what kind of gift he could get for Mary. All he knew was that any big or expensive gift wouldn't be impressive to her – and if he was honest with himself, he already knew that.

– _and you know, I haven't been able to get in touch with my friends lately_ ¸ Mary said. _Technically, I could use telepathy to contact them even from all the way down here, but then I'd risk giving away what's supposed to be a secret._

 _Mary…_ Heinrich began.

 _But you don't need to worry about that!_ Mary said, suddenly linking arms with Heinrich. _As long as I'm with you, I'll never feel lonely!_

The two of them froze. Then they blushed. Then they quickly separated from each other.

"I – I – I'm sorry about that," Mary said out loud. "It – I read about that line in a book and – and thought I'd try it out."

"W – Well, thanks for that," Heinrich said, equally embarrassed.

After exchanging a few more flustered words, they resumed their telepathic conversation.

 _S – So, anyway, I don't think I've told you about all of my friends yet,_ Mary said. _Let's see – have I mentioned the Three Nobles?_

 _You did,_ Heinrich replied.

 _That's right, I remember now!_ Mary said. _I still feel a little embarrassed over that name they came up with. It's not even complete yet, they plan on having it be "Three Nobles of_ something _", where that "something" is the most memorable title I get when I become Monster Lord. Really, can't they think of something cooler-sounding!?_

 _I don't know, I think that it sounds like a decent name for a group,_ Heinrich said. _To give some examples from human history, there's the "Blades of Bloodbeard" and the "Shields of Sarkan"._

 _Mmm… still, I'm not sure about it,_ Mary said. _Anyway, moving on, what about Lilith and Lilim?_

 _Already heard of them!_ Heinrich replied, a little more forcefully than usual. Mary hadn't gone into too much detail, but it was enough for Heinrich to figure out that these two succubi had a relationship that wasn't exactly typical of twin sisters.

 _Who haven't I told you about – hey, what about Edina?_ Mary asked.

 _Edina? I don't think you've mentioned her before,_ Heinrich said.

 _In that case, let me tell you all about her!_ Mary said. _She's the princess of Remina and someone I've known ever since I can remember. We first met when she came over to the castle as part of a meeting between her father and my mother, but we hit it off and then we took every opportunity to play together. And – wait, you don't have any idea of what she looks like. Basically, she's tall for a human, has long brown hair, often has a slightly mischievous look in her eyes – kind of like the woman over… there…_

When Mary trailed off, Heinrich looked at her and then followed her gaze. She was looking at a woman in the street who was dressed in a faded travelling cloak and, to Heinrich's eyes, seemed no different to any of the other passers-by.

"It can't be, it has to be a coincidence…" Mary said. Then she took a sniff, and her jaw dropped. "No way – it's really you!?"

The strange woman noticed this outburst. She turned, revealing that she did look like the description that Mary had just given. She looked between Mary and Heinrich, then said, "I'm sorry, I think you've mixed me up with someone – " Then she looked more intently at Mary. "Wait, is that really you, Mary!? But you – "

The woman didn't get the chance to say any more, thanks to Mary literally throwing herself at her. The two of them collapsed in a heap on the ground.

While being watched by curious onlookers, Heinrich wondered what the odds of encountering an old friend in a new place were.

-ooo-

 _Why didn't you tell me!?_

 _Again, I was ordered to keep it a secret!_

 _Since when did you ever let_ that _stop you from doing anything?_

After that sudden meeting in the street, Heinrich had pulled the two women away to a tavern to avoid causing any more of a commotion. They were now seated at a table and having lunch together. Heinrich had three kebabs – pieces of lamb on skewers – and a piece of bread, Edina had two kebabs and a cup of a local alcoholic drink, and Mary had five kebabs and a whole roast chicken and a large salad.

While they ate, Mary and Edina talked excitedly about everything that had happened to them in the time they were apart. They used telepathy for the topics that needed to be kept a secret.

As explained in between pauses to eat, Edina was going out on her own journey of the world. She had essentially the same goal as Mary, to understand the world from perspectives other than that of a princess. The main difference was that she had come up with the idea herself. She had crossed from Hellgondo to the Gold region of the Sentora Continent via an undersea tunnel, spent a few weeks exploring the Gold region, then taken a ship to the Safina region. From there she had stayed a night in Port Safina and, on her second day, she had run into the two of them.

 _I didn't recognise you at first, you look completely different_ , Edina said. _How long did it take you to come up with that disguise? To be honest, I would have expected you to just go out without bothering to disguise yourself at all._

Mary froze. _Uhh…_

 _Wait, don't tell me you – you actually did that!?_ Edina asked, shocked. _I wasn't actually serious about that –_

 _Sh – Shut up!_ Mary said, shaking with embarrassment. _Besides, I'm sure that nobody noticed!_

 _Really?_ Edina asked. _Because I'm pretty sure that with a face and figure like yours, you would have most guys and a few girls turning their heads whenever you walked down the street._

 _That never happened!_ Mary said. _Anyway, you haven't changed your appearance either – wait, hold on, did you – ?_

 _Oh, you finally noticed?_ Edina said. She showed off a simple necklace around her neck. It consisted of a small blue gemstone on a leather strap. _This necklace has a basic glamour that darkens my skin and adds wrinkles, so I don't look like royalty. Anyway, moving on – so you've started calling yourself Alice, now? Don't tell me you're already thinking of yourself as –_

 _It's just a name, there isn't any other meaning to it!_ Mary snapped.

 _Well, it's fine as long as you don't think of trying to speed things up_ , Edina said, laughing. She then turned towards Heinrich and said out loud, "Anyway, I'm Edina, M – _Alice's_ old friend. Nice to meet you."

"Heinrich, nice to meet you too," Heinrich replied.

Edina looked between Heinrich and Mary, her blue eyes twinkling. An expression appeared on her face that was uncomfortably familiar to Heinrich. She said, "So… what exactly _is_ the relationship between you two?"

These words caused Mary to begin shaking and to look towards the exit of the tavern. Heinrich was no less embarrassed, but he gathered up the resolve to answer. Before Mary could get up and run away, Heinrich took hold of her arm and said to Edina, "We're in a – a – a romantic relationship."

These words caused Mary to shake even harder and Edina to grin broadly.

 _Dammit, I really should have phrased that better_ , Heinrich thought.

 _That's right!_ Sylph chimed in. _You should have said, "We're totally in love with each other, and nothing can separate us! Not even you!"_

After a few seconds of awkwardness, Edina broke the silence. "Congratulations! That's great, I'm really happy for you!"

This was enough for Mary to speak again. "What, did you never expect me to find someone?"

"I was _trying_ to avoid that subject, but, well…" Edina said. "Remember that time three years ago when I invited you to a dinner?"

"Yeah, I remember it clearly," Mary said. "You also brought along two of the local men because… because…"

Heinrich looked away awkwardly. In the stories Mary had told, this was – reading between the lines – far from the only time she had done this.

"You get it now?" Edina said. "That's always been your problem – even though you look gorgeous and are great to be around, you never noticed these kinds of things."

Mary pouted. "Hey, I wasn't _that_ bad," she said. "And anyway, if I _had_ realised what was going on, I would have been able to make any man fall for me!"

Edina gave Mary a look of extreme scepticism. "Really?"

"Definitely!" Mary insisted. "If you're saying I'm not mature – that I wasn't mature back then, I am – I was perfectly mature! Even back then, I could have drunk this!"

With these words, Mary picked up Edina's cup of alcohol and drank it down in one gulp. She slammed the cup on the table as if to prove her point.

Heinrich and Edina exchanged a look. They didn't need any words, either spoken or telepathic. It seemed that being around Mary could really help people connect with each other, even if it wasn't in the ways that Mary intended.

After they had eaten some more of their lunch, Heinrich decided to ask a question of his own.

 _Edina, can I ask you one question? What's life like on Hellgondo from a human's perspective? I mean, I always hear about it as a continent of monsters and I never really thought about how humans would need to live there as well. Mary did tell me a lot about it but I'd like to get your perspective._

 _That's a very good question,_ Edina replied. _Hm, first of all, I have to tell you that Hellgondo is in general a really harsh place to live, to the point that even many monsters would have trouble there. Being all the way at the north end of the world, it's incredibly cold, so cold that for humans it's impossible to go out at night or during most of winter. And if you're far enough north, there's literally a constant night during the winter. Have you ever heard of that?_

 _I have,_ Heinrich said. _If I remember correctly, it was because of the way the world is tilted relative to the sun?_

 _Something like that,_ Edina said. _Anyway, because of the cold, most of the water is frozen and not available. And most of the water that isn't frozen is filled with all sorts of toxins that are deadly to most monsters, let alone humans. Remina is located in one of the very few places that has clean, liquid water, thanks to it being unusually warm there, and that's why it's the only human city on Hellgondo. Humans do live elsewhere on the continent, but in much smaller numbers since they have to stay inside most of the time._

 _Sounds like a – to be brutally honest, it doesn't sound like a place I'd want to live in,_ Heinrich said.

 _A fair thing to say,_ Edina agreed. _Though there are things that make up for it. Snow's a wonderful thing to play with, and if you're lucky you can see the amazing sight that is the Aurora. It's like – imagine a series of rainbows, but at the same time different, like these great curtains of light stretching up into the sky for eternity and – that description really doesn't do it justice._

 _Wait, hold on,_ Mary said. _If I remember correctly, to send images telepathically, I focus like_ this _and – aha!_

Suddenly, Heinrich was no longer in the tavern. He was in the middle of a snowy landscape and looking up at the night sky. The phenomenon he saw within said sky was, indeed, too great a spectacle to describe with mere words.

It was only visible for a few seconds before Heinrich's senses returned to reality. He said, _That was incredible. I'd like to see that in person._

 _Well, you're in luck, because now you have a reason to go there,_ Edina said teasingly.

 _That's – that's enough of that, get on with the explaining!_ Mary said.

 _If you say so,_ Edina said. _Moving on, it's also difficult to travel to and from Hellgondo. The whole continent is surrounded by steep cliffs and jagged rocks, making it impossible for any ships to land. Even sea monsters have a hard time thanks to the strong currents and freezing-cold water, so only the strongest ones can handle it. Travelling by air also isn't an option unless you're a high-level flying monster, since there's regular storms and the distance to Sentora is incredibly long. There's only one safe route, the single underground tunnel that connects Hellgondo with Gold. That's why it's rare for anyone, human or monster, to leave Hellgondo or to reach it._

After hearing all of this, Heinrich spent the rest of the meal thinking.

Once they were done eating, they stood up to leave. Edina said, "Well, it was nice meeting you – "

"This doesn't have to just end with a meeting, why don't we travel together from now on?" Mary said.

"Really? You sure about that?" Edina asked. "Doesn't that mean I'll… be getting in the way of you two?"

Now it was Heinrich's turn to be too embarrassed for words. He almost fell over and hit a table.

"There's – There's nothing like that going on with us!" Mary blurted out.

Edina was so surprised that she dropped her bag. "You're not – seriously!?" she said. "If it was any other – anyone else, they would have jumped him already!"

"Shut up! I'm not the kind of – of – " Mary said, shaking her head furiously, " – of girl who would just jump someone like that!"

This conversation was naturally drawing a lot of unwanted attention, so Heinrich quickly changed the subject. "A – Anyway, there's no problem with you accompanying us. So do you agree?"

"Yeah, if there's no problem, I'm fine with it," Edina said, still looking surprised.

With that issue settled, Heinrich quickly hurried the other two out of the tavern before anything else happened.

-ooo-

It didn't take very long at all for Edina to prepare for the journey. Her only luggage was the one bag she carried around with her. She had been rather envious when she learned about the space-warping cabinet that Mary used.

They decided to leave as soon as possible. The drought in Sabasa was an urgent issue, and while they would regret not seeing more of Port Safina they could always return. They did, however, wait until evening before they actually left the city. Between the scorching heat of the afternoon and the freezing cold of the desert night, the latter was preferable for travelling. In the meantime they bought clothing and other supplies for the journey. When the sun approached the horizon, they stepped out of the town walls and into the desert.

The first thing Heinrich noticed was that the desert didn't look very much like what he'd expected. Rather than sand, there was a seemingly endless expanse of gravel interspersed with boulders. A few short trees and bushes emerged from the gravel here and there.

However, the heat was definitely within – no, it actually exceeded Heinrich's expectations. Even the weakened rays of the evening sun were strong enough to make him and Edina sweat profusely. Mary, of course, was fine. Heinrich was able to maintain a faint breeze around them, courtesy of Sylph's power, which helped things somewhat.

While they walked, Mary and Edina talked incessantly, making up for all of the months they had been apart. Heinrich rarely joined in, deciding to let the two of them have this time to themselves. He did listen, though, and in this way he learned more about the person that he was now in a relationship with. However, he still wasn't able to figure out what he could give her as a present.

When the sun dipped all the way below the horizon, they set up camp. They could have continued onwards if they used magical light, but anyone who happened to see them might get suspicious. After all, sight-dependent humans avoided travelling at night whenever possible. On top of that, the temperature plummeted with startling speed as soon as the sun set. The two humans would have easily frozen to death without the warmth of the campfire.

Dinner was a mix of old and new. The "old" being dried vegetables and the "new" being a bunch of scorpions that Mary had found hiding under rocks. The thought of eating the large insects, with their numerous legs and stinger-tipped tails, nearly made Heinrich retch at first. However, Mary and Edina had no problems with it – as they explained, the barren terrain of Hellgondo made it difficult to raise large livestock like cows or sheep, so eating insects was common there. When Heinrich did try out a fried scorpion, it proved to actually be quite good – sort of like shrimp or crab, but with a lighter, earthier taste.

Once it came time to sleep, Heinrich took the first watch. To while away the hours, he returned to his hobby of woodcarving. He picked up a piece of fallen wood and began scraping away with his knife. The wood was harder than any he'd worked with before, but that challenge made it better for improving his skills.

The wind of the desert at night was strong, though Heinrich also felt a sense of vigour in it. He spent the time practicing with the wind as well.

-ooo-

The next morning, they started moving again as soon as the sun came up. The plan was to travel during the morning, then stop before noon and find a shaded area to spend the afternoon. This was, according to various people they'd asked, the traditional way of travelling through the desert while avoiding the worst of the heat. However, a couple of hours after they started, something unexpected happened.

The landscape was the same as usual, gravel and boulders and withered plants. But what Heinrich quickly realised, from both his vision and his sense of the wind, was the lack of any animals. Prior to this, Heinrich had been able to sense all kinds of animals, from snakes to scorpions, but now there were none at all. Moreover, judging from their wary expressions, the other two had noticed as well.

"This isn't normal," Heinrich said, keeping his voice low. "For there to be no animals like this, in my experience it only happens – "

" – when there's a big predator around, right?" Edina finished. "Mary, how many are there?"

"Four, all human-sized, monsters judging from their aura," Mary said casually. "There's two of them in front, behind that pile of rocks, and another two circling around to try and get behind us."

Heinrich didn't draw his sword yet, but he did call on the wind to protect and accelerate himself. "Any possibility that they don't have hostile intentions?" He asked.

"The answer seems pretty clear at this point, doesn't it?" Mary replied. "If they were trying to warn us away from their territory, or any other innocent reason, they would have shown themselves by now."

"I figured as much, but – well, I guess I was being too optimistic," Heinrich said.

Edina looked between the two of them, commenting, "Either get a room or quit flirting, it's embarrassing for me to watch."

This disturbed Heinrich so much that he actually lost control of the wind. Mary's reaction was similarly extreme.

Edina simply laughed, then pulled out a short staff from under her clothes. "Come to think of it, I haven't had the chance to show you what I can do yet. Leave this to me!" She turned to the front and shouted, "Come out, all four of you!"

There was a brief pause, then the mysterious figures emerged from their hiding places. They were all dragonkin like the one Heinrich had seen back in Port Safina. Their scales were mottled grey and brown, perfect for hiding in this environment. Their clothing was a mixture of different garments with no sense of unity. They carried knives and, from their stances, knew how to use them. What was most noticeable about them, however, was how thin they were. Even from a distance, Heinrich could make out their ribs.

A dragonkin with a faded red bandanna, seemingly the leader of the group, said, "So you managed to spot us – big deal. We might be bandits like this, but we're still dragons. Do you really think that you stand a chance against us?"

"I guess there's no way of solving things peacefully, is there?" Edina said.

"As if," the dragonkin scoffed. She glanced briefly at Edina's staff and Mary's outfit before continuing, "You think you two stand a chance just because you're mages? Don't make me laugh. We've fought mages before, and they could never land a hit on us. And once we cut them up a little, they couldn't stop screaming." She then directed a predatory gaze towards Heinrich. "Hm, a little small, but enough meat on your bones. You should last for a while."

By now accustomed to the way that certain monsters looked at him, Heinrich merely sighed. "How many people have you killed?" He asked quietly.

The dragonkin leader shrugged and said, "Lost count after the twentieth or thirtieth one. If you want to survive in a dried-up shithole like this, you have to take whatever you can get. Ah, but don't worry… we'll be _gentle_ with you."

Heinrich placed his hand on his sword hilt. The dragonkin bandits merely laughed.

Edina made the first move. She simply raised her staff, and Heinrich felt a burst of magical power from it. The dragonkin bandits closed in with inhuman speed, but Heinrich had already called on the wind again and he was capable of following their speed. He drew his sword, ready to intercept, but his efforts proved unnecessary. In four different places, the gravel shifted and gathered into four gigantic snakes, as thick as tree trunks. In the blink of an eye, the gravel snakes coiled around each of the four dragonkin and completely restrained them. The dragonkin struggled futilely and cursed.

Suddenly, Heinrich felt the familiar sensation of Mary reforming the telepathic link, like a string that moved on its own and wrapped around the crown of his head.

 _Huh, you've improved quite a bit since I last saw you,_ Mary said to Edina.

 _What, did you think I was just going to remain static?_ Edina asked. _Anyway, Heinrich, as you can see I'm good at earth magic. I'm far from the best – any kitsune with at least five tails would easily crush me, as would Mary if she put more effort into this element – but when you come from the continent where the strongest monsters in the entire world live, you have to be pretty tough. So, what do you want to do with them_?

There was a brief pause, then Mary replied, _You can finish them off_.

Edina looked surprised. _You did mention last night what you've been through, but… you've really changed a lot._

Mary averted her eyes and fiddled nervously with the brim of her hat.

 _What do you think, Heinrich?_ Edina asked.

Heinrich took another look at the bandits, at their clothing which had clearly been taken from a number of people. He thought about what the bandits had said earlier.

 _Go ahead_.

The gravel snakes constricted.

-ooo-

They didn't talk at all, verbally or otherwise, for the next few hours. Edina moved the gravel to create four graves and buried the dragonkin bandits, all without a word.

The sun reached its zenith, scorching the landscape with its heat. The three of them took shelter in the shadow of one of the few hills.

Heinrich idly wiped some of the sweat off his face. He drank from his waterskin, making sure to only take a few sips to conserve water. Then he broke the silence.

"It's not the first time, but I still feel uncomfortable."

"I know just how you feel," Mary muttered.

"Hmm… if it makes you feel better, let me tell you a little piece of history," Edina said. "Around five hundred years ago, not long after the Great Monster Wars ended, there was a lot of hatred among humans towards monsters. And there were good reasons for this: aside from the considerable damage done during the actual war, the breakdown of order meant that many monsters took the opportunity to oppress humans as they pleased. It took years before the Monster Lord of the time was able to restore any degree of peace. She had to do a lot of things to achieve that, and one of them was to personally round up a number of the offending monsters and – well. I don't have to tell you the rest."

"Now that you mention it, I think I've heard that before," Mary said. "Though it was back when I didn't pay attention in lessons."

"Figured as much. Well, that's what you've got me for," Edina said, lightly punching Mary in the side.

"Why are you trying to act like the mature one?" Mary said, punching her back. "I'm older than you by a few months."

"Yeah, but you – "

The two of them started off on another one of their tangents. Heinrich was just happy at the mood being lifted.

 _Hey, no cheating!_ Sylph suddenly cried out.

 _What!? What are you going on about?_ Heinrich asked.

 _You already have a girlfriend, don't try and –_

 _There's nothing like that going on!_ Heinrich retorted. _There's nothing like that, and there never will be._

Heinrich felt a little annoyed by the nonsensical accusation. Still, it helped to break the tension even further, so he was also grateful in a sense.

* * *

 **AN: There's one place in this chapter where I intentionally depart from canon. I mentioned that there's an undersea cave linking the Hellgondo and Sentora continents, which was how Edina crossed over to Sentora. This was originally a mistake I made – canonically, there is one place on Hellgondo's coast where a ship can in fact land and the cave instead connects this place to the interior of the continent. I've decided to keep it this way because I actually think it makes more sense – if it was technically possible to get to Hellgondo by ship, then it should be possible to simply climb over the mountains (the only reason you can't in gameplay is because mountains are considered an impassable obstacle).**


	16. Chapter 15: Sabasa

Mary shook the sand out of her boots. The journey had been quite eventful. The three of them had crossed over mountains, stopped briefly at a village of Cactus Girls, and weathered a powerful sandstorm. Now they were nearing Sabasa, and the gravel had been replaced by yellow sand. While the sight of the dunes gleaming in the sun was impressive, the feeling of sand in one's footwear was uncomfortable for everyone, human or monster.

When they started climbing one particularly tall dune, Mary felt a strange scent on her nose. Or rather, a strange cocktail of scents. When she inhaled, she recognised these scents – in fact, she'd smelled them many times before, but it made no sense for them to be in the desert.

 _Am I hallucinating this?_ Mary thought. _Hallucinations can be smells as well as sights and sounds, right? I did remember to drink enough water, and this level of heat shouldn't be enough to affect me…_

Before she could ask the other two about this, the three of them reached the top of the dune. As one they stopped, awed at the sight before them.

A large and magnificent city, with its walls and buildings covered in green. Even from a distance, it was clearly more than just paint, it was unmistakeably the green of living vegetation. In dimmer light the city could potentially be mistaken for a large forest, that was just how covered in growth it was.

They approached the city. They could now make out vines covering the walls, bushes and even entire trees on the rooftops, flowers of myriad colours everywhere. And the plants weren't growing from cracks in the buildings, as would happen if the city were abandoned – they were growing in specific arrangements. Elves and fairies – the latter only becoming visible when they were close to the city – were carefully tending to the plants. Their expertise in nature magic was undoubtedly what made this incredible display possible.

"It's… it's incredible," Mary murmured.

"They did mention that Sabasa is a 'green city', but I thought that was an exaggeration," Heinrich said, equally dumbfounded.

"I'm guessing everyone thinks the same before they see it in person," Edina said, shaking her head. "I mean, a city covered in plants in the middle of the desert? Who would believe something like that without proof?"

They walked closer still. Now Mary could see that the vegetation wasn't entirely healthy – many of them were wilting or turning brown. The elf and fairy gardeners also looked exhausted.

This trend continued when the three of them passed through the city gates. The people of Sabasa seemed, at first glance, happy and prosperous. They tried to make jokes about the situation, claiming that the water shortage would be over any time now. But the flashes of worry in their eyes and the forced tone of their laughter made it clear this was just a façade.

After a brief discussion, they made their first stop at a large tavern called "The Desert Bloom". As Edina put it: "It's a bit of a stereotype, but stereotypes often have at least a little basis in reality. A lot of people gathered in one place, their tongues loosened by drinking? It's a perfect environment for getting information." This was further supported by Mary's and Heinrich's own experience, so they entered the tavern and sat down at a table.

"Okay, first, what drinks would you like?" Edina asked. "They offer quite a selection here – there's beer, wine, even sake from Yamatai – "

"Just water for me, thanks," Heinrich said.

"I'll have the orange juice," Mary said, after taking a look at the menu.

Edina looked disappointed at this request. "Really, again?" She said. "You really need to learn how to handle your alcohol… Alice."

"Oh, shut up," Mary said, rolling her eyes. "Unlike some people, I actually have a sense of taste worth mentioning, so I find alcohol to be disgusting."

"Having a child's sense of taste isn't something to brag about," Edina said. When Mary didn't rise to the bait, she continued, "You know, I'm surprised that you two didn't order the same thing. I thought that newlyweds were supposed to have the same tastes."

Heinrich nearly fell out of his chair. Mary _did_ fall out of her chair, only to spring to her feet and shout, "Don't be ridiculous, we haven't gotten married yet!"

The entire bar stopped and stared. Mary immediately sat back down, blushing so hard that one could fry an egg on her face.

 _Why the hell did I say something like that!?_ Mary thought. _I mean, it's not like I don't want to – wait, it's too soon for that! First we need to – argh, that's not the point, we've got more important things to do right now!_

Mary looked up at Heinrich and saw him blushing just as strongly. Then he suddenly flinched. It was probably Sylph again.

They obtained their food and drinks and started eating while listening to the surrounding conversations.

"Still plenty of food in the markets. How long do you think it'll last?"

"It's only because of imports. With the situation like this, the city won't be able to keep exporting enough to bring in the money we need to keep importing. And all it takes is one big storm and the caravans will get delayed, and people will be starving in the streets."

"There has to be something we can do."

"Doubt it. We're just common labourers, all we can really do to help the situation is to, well, keep doing our jobs as best as possible."

"Maybe if – "

"I've been working my ass off trying to keep the city's garden going. I need another drink!"

"Yeah. Still, we and the fairies are the only ones who can do it."

"Just why _are_ we going to all the trouble of keeping it green anyway? I mean, I like nature as much as any elf, but so much water is getting wasted in the process."

"It's not being wasted, not really. The garden keeps Sabasa cool and so makes it possible for people other than desert monsters – which is most of the population – to survive here. And it's also one of the main attractions that keeps people visiting the city and bringing in money."

"…Well, I guess you have a point. But still – "

"Some of the guys I talk to, the ones down in the west market, they say this crisis is because of people losing faith in Ilias."

"That's ridiculous. Besides, a goddess who would do something like this just for not being faithful isn't one I'd want to worship anyway."

"I understand that. Still, when you're in a desperate situation like those guys, what are you supposed to do? If you're not sure if you'll still have food to eat in a month's time, you'd jump at anything that sounded like it could help."

"That part does make sense. Hrm. Have you tried reasoning with them?"

"I have, but the thing is – "

While she was listening to these conversations, Mary found herself eating at a notably slower pace than usual. Considering that the problem Sabasa faced was a threat to its food security, this change in her behaviour only made sense. She decided to start the discussion.

"Let's sum things up," Mary began. "What we've heard today matches what we've heard back in Port Safina and other places. There's a shortage of water and, while it hasn't caused any significant harm yet, that could change at any time."

"Could it be the work of a monster?" Edina asked. "High-ranking monsters are powerful enough to even change the weather. Stopping, or at least reducing the frequency of rain, would be possible for them."

"Wait, really?" Heinrich said in surprise.

"It's true. It takes a lot of effort, like trying to run while carrying a heavy load, but it is possible," Mary said. She added telepathically, _If I wanted to, I could do it if I read the right books first and had some practice. However, to keep it going on the scale of an entire city and its surroundings, for months on end, there's not a lot of monsters who could manage that._

"We still don't know all that much about the situation, so we should avoid coming to conclusions too soon," Edina said. "An act like stopping rain to a human city would be an act of war and definitely against the wishes of the Monster Lord."

There was a brief pause, then Heinrich looked at Mary and said, "Hey are you feeling okay? You haven't been eating nearly as much as you normally do."

"I'm okay, it's just – I keep thinking about where this food came from," Mary said. "How should I put it – I never really thought about something like this before. I always thought of food as something that was always available. Even when I went out on this journey and started having to catch my own food, there was always plenty of it around in the forests and plains. But out here, in the desert, after hearing about the drought…"

"Yeah, that can be a tough thing to imagine," Edina said. "No matter where in the world you go you can find people who don't have even enough food to live. I have a feeling that Heinrich would understand this better than you or I…"

Heinrich lowered his head. "It's true," he said. "You don't normally get droughts in the Noah region, but there was more than one time when the harvest failed due to blight or insect pests or some other reason. When that happened, everyone who was able to work in the slightest, even many of the elders, spent most of each day scavenging in the forest for food. Even then, the situation sometimes got desperate enough that the ones who were too old to work at all would refuse any food, letting themselves starve if it meant fewer mouths to feed." At Mary's horrified expression, he added, "I didn't want to tell you this before since I didn't want to worry you."

Mary reached forward and held Heinrich's hands. "You can tell me anything you want and I'll be there for you. That's the kind of relationship we have now."

Mary then shot a warning glance at Edina, but this proved unnecessary. Edina held up her own hands and said, "Hey, contrary to what you might think, I do know when to stay silent."

Then Mary cleared her throat and continued, "Going back to what you mentioned before, we still don't have the full picture. I think we've heard all we can here. Our next step should probably be to split up and gather information separately."

"Okay," Heinrich said."

"Good idea," Edina said. _Although if you really want to become the Monster Lord in the future, you need to be more decisive. You should say it like: 'Our next step is to split up and gather information separately. Edina, you investigate the markets. Heinrich, you investigate the churches and guild halls. I'll investigate the royal palace.' See? Decisive._

 _Thanks for the advice, although so far Heinrich and I haven't been to any of the palaces,_ Mary said. _Didn't want to take the risk of me being recognised._

 _It was just something I came up with in the spur of the moment, but yeah, good idea,_ Edina said. _Human royalty like myself tends to be good with magic, and even the ones on Sentora will often have meetings with high-ranking monsters. There's a good chance of them figuring something's off about you, even if they're not sure exactly what._

After a little more discussion, they decided on where each of them would go and parted ways.

-ooo-

As she headed to the nearest market, Edina fanned herself and panted. This behavior wasn't becoming of a princess, but anyone in this heat would abandon decorum. And this was with the abundant shade provided by the city's greenery. The thought of how hot it would be if the vegetation wasn't there made Edina shudder.

 _And to think it was cold back in the Gold region… I guess that's what makes this part of the world the tropics,_ Edina thought. _I really shouldn't have come here, someone from the tundra like me just melts in the desert. Though if I hadn't come here, I wouldn't have met Mary again, or learned that she_ finally _found someone. Come to think of it, they – or rather, Heinrich hasn't had nearly as hard a time with the heat. I guess that makes sense, he and Mary have been travelling for a lot longer than I have._

Edina took a short break, leaning against a wall in the shade, and continued her thoughts. _Even after all this time, I still have trouble believing it. I keep wondering if it's a dream born out of loneliness. The same Mary who used to still play with dolls at an age when other monsters start indulging in their massive libidos is finally growing up. Although she still hasn't gotten to_ that _stage yet… well, I guess she's at least made a start at growing up. Or could they be lying about that part, out of embarrassment? No, that can't be the case, they don't show any of the signs of lying._

Edina started walking again. Along the way, she saw many empty pots, barrels and other containers left out in the open, no doubt to catch what little rainwater fell on the desert city.

She made it to the market. The place was absolutely packed with people and had an enormous range of goods on sale. This was one of the things that Edina loved about this journey. The largest shops on Hellgondo had a fraction of the goods that could be bought in even a small market on Sentora – a natural consequence of a continent being inaccessible by ship. Edina wondered what to buy for her father – he had been king of Remina for several decades now, so something to decrease stress might be handy – but then remembered the task at hand.

After some looking around, Edina spotted a fairy sitting on a nearby crate. She wore a light purple dress with a green star on it. The green star, according to what Edina had previously seen, was a badge for those who worked on the city's garden. Most of the elves and fairies here had it. This particular fairy was eyeing the honey-covered apples in a nearby stall. A thought came to her mind, so Edina walked up to the fairy.

"Hello there, are you interested in one of those?" Edina asked.

The fairy jumped. She quickly replied, "No, I'm not interested in that at all! I'm a grownup now, I'm not interested in childish things like that!"

Despite saying that, the fairy kept glancing discreetly at the apples.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with grownups eating this kind of food," Edina said. "And if it makes you feel better, I was planning on buying one for myself, but I can't eat a whole apple all by myself, not with all that honey as well. It's not like I can buy just half an apple, so why don't we split one?

The fairy looked indecisive at first, but soon nodded her head. She nevertheless insisted, "D – Don't get me wrong, this is just to help out someone else!"

Edina bought one of the honey-covered apples and cut it in half with a knife, passing one half to the fairy. She took a bite out of her own half and found it to be extremely tasty, the two forms of sweetness complementing each other well. The fairy, who introduced herself as Magnolia, picked up her half and started devouring it with relish. It took Magnolia just a couple of minutes to finish off the whole thing despite it being the same size as her – size-changing magic was convenient that way.

Once Magnolia was done, Edina asked her about the drought afflicting Sabasa. As it turned out, "drought" wasn't an accurate description. The problem wasn't a lack of rain, but rather that the earth was somehow failing to hold onto the water. Magnolia had the duty of bringing water from the ground to the city garden and thus knew about this issue. She used the following analogy to describe it: if the earth was normally a bowl, storing the water that fell onto it, then the earth around Sabasa had somehow become a sieve, rapidly losing the water. That was the reason for the scarcity of water. There was also something else that was odd – recently, there had been faint tremors in the earth, so faint that few people could sense them. Sabasa wasn't known for its earthquakes, so the tremors didn't make any sense.

After thanking Magnolia and leaving, Edina sighed. It seemed that this problem would be even more difficult to solve than first thought.

-ooo-

Heinrich stopped just outside the door of the church. The building wasn't as grand as the ones he'd seen in San Ilia, but it was still magnificent. However, there was one thing about _him_ that was different compared to before. He hadn't been in a relationship with a monster.

All things considered, it was a silly thing to worry about. He had been accepting of monsters for months now and had seen no small number of human-monster relationships. He currently had a monster living inside his head and treated her like an annoying younger sister. He was no longer able to imagine a future without Mary at his side. But… he had still been raised as a worshipper of Ilias. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong with his current path.

 _There's nothing to worry about,_ Heinrich thought, shaking his head. _If Ilias disagreed with all this, why hasn't she come down to do anything about it? Or sent one of her angels?_

Sylph spoke up. _Um, I'm not really good at handling this sort of thing… but hey! You've got Mary, and right now Edina to talk to! I'm sure they would be a lot more helpful than me!_

 _…Thanks, Sylph._

With that settled, Heinrich stepped into the church. The pews contained no shortage of people, including both humans and monsters. Heinrich found an empty space and sat down.

First, Heinrich thought back on what he'd heard. The water shortage wasn't caused by a lack of rain but by the earth somehow not retaining the rainwater. No one could agree on the cause. Some said that an underground channel must have opened up and was draining the water away. Some said that powerful desert spirits were angry at the Sabasan people for maintaining a green city in the middle of their territory, and stole the water as punishment for this hubris. And some said that it must be a punishment from Ilias, for the sin of mating with monsters.

Then Heinrich turned his attention back to the present. Unsurprisingly, many of the people in the church were talking about the water issue. They prayed, begged, pleaded towards the Goddess Ilias to restore vital water to Sabasa.

Heinrich looked at the marble statue of Ilias that stood at the front of the church. He wondered how someone who was all-powerful and truly benevolent could allow such suffering to occur. It wasn't just the water shortage here or the plague in San Ilia; every single instance of misery in the world seemed unreasonable. Even if she did want to punish humans, could it truly be just to punish the children as well, the ones too young to know any better?

While Heinrich was lost in these thoughts, he heard voices from behind.

" – can't believe this is happening again."

"Again? What do you mean?"

"I heard it from my grandmother. In the past, other parts of Safina have faced the same problem. Rubiana, Safar… at one point, even the Oasis of Blessings dried up."

"Even the Oasis? That's terrifying… Ah, Ilias, please save us from this fate…"

As quietly as possible, Heinrich turned around to face the sources of these voices. They were two humans, a man and a woman, and a couple judging from the way they sat together.

"Excuse me, can you tell me more about that?" Heinrich asked.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, that's all I really know," the man said. "I heard it all from my grandmother, and she doesn't remember much of it."

"If you want to know more, maybe you could try asking one of the older monsters?" the woman suggested. "Some of them have been around for more than a century."

"Thanks, I'll do that," Heinrich said.

"Are you looking for a way to solve this city's problem with water?" the man asked.

"That's wonderful!" the woman said, clapping her hands together. "I hope you can do something about it."

Heinrich caught sight of a metallic glint on the woman's hand. It was a silver ring. Moreover, there was an identical ring was on the hand of her partner.

"Hmm? Oh, this?" the woman said when she noticed where Heinrich was looking. "These are rings that symbolize our marriage. You see, it's a custom here for a man and woman to exchange rings when they get married. It's not weird, is it?"

"No, I don't think there's anything weird about it," Heinrich reassured her.

"Well, don't get too worried," the man said. "You're still young, I'm sure you'll find someone as well."

The situation had become somewhat awkward, so Heinrich thanked the couple for their help and left the church.

Heinrich thought about where to go next. He tried to imagine where older monsters might be found, but didn't have any clues. He decided that he would need to ask around. It was the middle of the day, so few people would be outdoors by this point. Someplace indoors would be best, both to better find people and to preserve his own health. Just as he came to that conclusion, Heinrich froze. Another thought filled his mind.

 _Wait – maybe I could – silver is one option, but there would be more meaning in something I made myself – in that case – wait, what am I doing!? I need to focus on what's important!_

Shaking his head, Heinrich hurried towards his next destination.

-ooo-

Mary bowed and said, "Thanks, that's really helpful."

"Oh, it's no trouble," the old woman said. "I hope you can find the answer to all this."

Mary stepped out into the street. It was now evening, and the greenery of Sabasa looked even more beautiful in the red light of the setting sun. Now was the time for them to reunite. Mary headed back towards the tavern.

Outside "The Desert Bloom", Mary encountered Edina. The two of them chatted for a while before Heinrich arrived. Once they were all gathered together, they went inside and rented a room where they could discuss their findings.

First, they explained what they had learned during their investigations. Mary recounted how she'd gone to a library to check the historical records. Her plan had been to see if a similar disaster had occurred in the past. She had discovered that other parts of Safina had also gone through the same thing, which was consistent with Heinrich's information. However, she had found little other information despite hours of searching. According to the librarian, this and other libraries had been damaged in a great fire that had swept through Sabasa a few decades ago. Many priceless books had been lost to the fire, leaving little information about Sabasa's history.

Then they discussed what the cause of the water shortage could be. From the information they had gathered, _something_ was happening underground that caused the water to be lost rapidly.

Currently, the most likely possibility was that an earthquake had created an underground channel that allowed the water to drain away. If this was the case, there was little they could do about the situation. Any such channel would have to be incredibly deep for no one to have discovered it until now. And even if they were able to locate the channel, sealing it up would be even more difficult. The only option that was even remotely feasible was to go north to the town of Safar, where the spirit of earth Gnome lived, and make a contract with her to use her power. To get there and back would be a trip of at least a month… and there was no guarantee of success.

There was something else they could do before that. Heinrich brought up the possibility of asking older monsters who might remember Sabasa's history. He hadn't been able to find any on his own, though. This led Mary to bring up something else she'd read about.

"The oldest monster around here would definitely be Sphinx," Mary said. "She's an ancient yoma who lives in the Pyramid to the west of Sabasa. She's been around since the Great Monster Wars five hundred years ago – in fact, she fought in them. If anyone would know about the history of this area, it's her."

"Are you sure about this, Mary?" Edina asked. "A monster of her level would almost certainly see through who you are. In fact, she'd probably be able to see through who I am as well."

"It's a risk we'll have to take," Mary said. "Besides, from everything I've heard, Sphinx is very reclusive. She stays in the Pyramid and never leaves, she doesn't try to do anything in the outside world. Letting her know shouldn't be too much of a problem."

After giving this some thought, Edina agreed, followed shortly by Heinrich.

"Alright, it's settled," Mary declared. "Let's get to bed early, we need to get up early tomorrow to reach the Pyramid."

-ooo-

It took them most of the next day to reach the Pyramid. They arrived just as the sun was beginning to set. It was fortunate that they hadn't arrived much later, for the Pyramid was a splendid sight in the last light of the day. While it was simple in shape, the exterior was covered in a smooth layer of white limestone and the apex shone with the distinct gleam of gold. After taking a minute to admire the view, they walked up to the entrance.

The entrance to the Pyramid was immense – Mary could probably have fit through it even in her true form. It also lacked a door, which only emphasised this incredible size. On either side of the entrance stood two Mummy Girls.

Mary recalled what she knew about this type of undead monster. They were similar to the more common Zombie Girls in that they were once living people – usually humans, sometimes humanoid monsters like elves. In general, monsters of the zombie race were formed when dark magic accumulated in a corpse, either intentionally – in the case of necromancer-raised zombies – or as a result of natural processes. Mummy Girls were distinguished by the extensive measures taken to preserve the corpse, which involved removing the internal organs and thoroughly drying the corpse in salt, then wrapping it in bandages. This process meant that Mummy Girls retained more of their magical capability compared to other types of zombies.

That said, the Mummy Girls currently in front of Mary didn't look like decayed corpses. Their flesh was intact and they didn't give off any smell of decay. They were covered in bandages, but not entirely – at least half of their skin was exposed. Admittedly, being fully covered in bandages would have hindered their movement. The only signs of their undeath were their lack of a heartbeat, of breathing and of body heat.

As the three of them approached the Pyramid, one of the Mummy Girls called out, "Halt! State your business."

"We wish to hold an audience with the great yoma Sphinx," Mary replied. "We seek information on the history of this land, in the hopes that it will help solve the crisis afflicting Sabasa."

The Mummy Girl's expression remained unchanged. "Wait here, I shall pass on your request."

Mary felt the faint pulse of a telepathic link being formed – it was like the cry of a bat, a sound too high-pitched for most to hear. There was silence for about ten seconds, then the Mummy Girl said, "Sphinx has given you permission for an audience. Follow me, I will lead you to her."

They entered the Pyramid. The Mummy Girl led them through a labyrinthine series of corridors and rooms and up multiple staircases. Lighting came from orange balls of magical flame, set in sockets on the walls. Along the way, they passed by countless works of art: murals, carvings, statues. Although their guide did not explain what any of these meant – or say anything else, for that matter – it was still clear to Mary that these artworks depicted a rich history.

On one wall, a prosperous kingdom. Farmers, merchants, smiths, sailors, nobles, humans, monsters, all living in peace and prosperity. A kingdom that stretched from the mountains to the sea.

On another wall, destruction. Armies of monsters and angels clashing over the once-peaceful kingdom, firing off attacks with unthinkable power. Cities levelled, forests burned, rivers and lakes reduced to dust. The people of the kingdom were helpless before such might. The lucky ones were killed immediately. The unlucky ones were taken captive by one of the two sides, to be used as food or as playthings.

On a third wall, a small group of survivors that had fled the destruction. They crossed the sea in small ships, with many dying to storms or illness. But at the end of their arduous journey, they found a land unspoiled by war. Here they began to rebuild.

Mary was engrossed in these scenes of history. It seemed like no time had passed when they reached the top floor of the Pyramid. They passed through one last corridor and entered a large room.

The instant she stepped into the room, Mary froze.

At the other side of the room was an enormous monster. Her upper half was humanoid, while her lower half was an immense beast, one with the body of a lion, the wings of a bird, and six cobras as tails. The dark hair on her head was styled to resemble the outspread hood of a cobra. She wore a considerable amount of gold jewellery, including a large headdress with a cobra decoration. Her expression was calm, but contained a firm solemnity.

Mary was confident in her own strength, but the mere sight of this monster utterly obliterated that confidence. The last time she had experienced anything like this feeling was when she was around the nine-tailed kitsune Tamamo – and only on the one occasion that she had seen Tamamo angry.

"The ruler of this Pyramid, Sphinx," the Mummy Girl announced.

Sphinx gave a slight nod of acknowledgement and said, "You may leave," a command that the Mummy Girl followed.

As a result, the three of them were left alone with Sphinx. The ancient yoma's presence was so overwhelming that none of them dared to speak.

"Well?" Sphinx said. "Has the line of the Fateburns fallen so far that they no longer know basic manners? Do not keep me waiting. Speak."

These blunt words returned Mary to her senses. She remembered what she had read about Sphinx: a survivor from the time of the Great Monster Wars, she had later met a human man and married him. Together they founded the desert kingdom of Sabasa. Mary would need to be very careful here.

Taking a deep breath, Mary changed into her true form. Her legs merged into a serpent's tail while innumerable tentacles emerged from her back. Her disguise disappeared, leaving her with her original blonde hair and red eyes.

"My apologies, I did not mean to offend you," Mary said. "I am Mary Fateburn, the elder daughter of the current Monster Lord, Alipheese Fateburn the Seventh. However, I come here today not on behalf of my mother, but on behalf of the people of Sabasa."

Sphinx raised one eyebrow slightly. "Hm. It seems that I was mistaken," she said. "Very well, you may speak."

Mary explained all of what she knew about the inexplicable water shortage in Sabasa. She devoted extra attention to explaining the impact it had on the citizens.

"For these reasons, I ask if you know the reason for this crisis, or of any ways to resolve it," Mary finished.

Sphinx remained silent for a while. This was unnerving to Mary and, judging from their expressions, her companions as well.

Finally, Sphinx began to respond, "First of all, I can confirm that this is not a geological phenomenon. A depletion of water on such a scale would require a considerable shift in the earth, which I would undoubtedly have sensed. As for the true cause…"

Sphinx suddenly opened her lower, bestial mouth, revealing crimson flesh and countless sharp teeth. The sight made Mary and her friends flinch, like sheep before a voracious dragon.

"Pardon me. Now then, allow me to ask a question of my own," Sphinx said. "How much food and water do you think I require on a daily basis?"

Mary blinked at the unexpected question. She thought back to what she remembered from back home and answered, "Well… I would expect a tonne or more each day… unless – wait – "

"In fact, I consume barely more than the average human," Sphinx said. "A feat I manage thanks to keeping my activity to a minimum and, when I am not holding an audience, by remaining in a human form. I would wager that you, likewise, consume less than you would need to if you were normally in your true form."

Looking to the side, Mary saw that Heinrich seemed lost. Edina, though, seemed to be picking up on Sphinx's intent.

"Monsters of our level have proportionately large needs," Sphinx continued. "Without measures like the ones used by you and I, we would not be able to live sustainably in the desert. But not all are willing to restrain themselves in this way. Some believe in living only by their own desires, uncaring of the consequences for others."

"If you don't mind me interrupting, could that really be enough to explain this issue?" Heinrich asked. "Sabasa is a large city with tens of thousands of people. For a monster, or even a group of monsters, to have a measurable impact on the water supply – "

"It is possible," Sphinx said. "There are monsters with needs so great that they must devour forests and drink rivers dry. Your companions would know of some examples, coming from Hellgondo." She turned slightly towards Edina. "And yes, I recognise you as well. Those of Remina's line have a distinct scent."

These words made Mary remember the time she had first met a Kyoryuu – a type of dragon who was so enormous that she had a forest growing on her back. The Kyoryuu was able to obtain energy from sunlight through the aforementioned forest and she spent most of her time sleeping to conserve energy. However, she still needed to drink an immense quantity of water each day, enough to fill multiple large baths. Only the fact that Hellgondo did have considerable water, albeit water too toxic for weaker monsters, allowed her to survive there.

"The largest monsters tend to have solitary lifestyles," Sphinx said. "As such, I believe that there is one monster responsible for this. Given the tremors you have mentioned, and the fact that none have yet seen them, I believe they are a subterranean type. Most likely a Sandworm Girl. In that case, it would be ideal to begin your search in the desert north of Sabasa, for the sand there is soft and deep, perfect for burrowing."

"That does make sense," Mary said. "You have my deepest gratitude, Sphinx, for this advice."

"This much is hardly worth being thanked over," Sphinx said. "It is merely a hypothesis, you have yet to confirm if it is in fact true. And even when you do find the culprit, that will not be enough to resolve the matter. In that situation, what do you plan on doing?"

Mary thought carefully before answering, "I will begin by using words, trying to persuade her to restrain herself and leave water for the people of Sabasa. If that fails… then I will remind myself that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of one person."

"Hmm," Sphinx said. "It seems that you have some of what it takes to be a leader. Remember, however, to always keep those you can trust by your side so that you do not stray from your path."

"Thank you, I will bear that in mind," Mary said, lowering her head.

Mary returned to her human form and left the room. It wasn't a moment too soon – for all that Sphinx had been helpful, she had also been mildly terrifying.

-ooo-

Both Mary and Edina had left the room, but Heinrich lingered behind.

"Well, what is it that you want?" Sphinx asked.

Heinrich had to stop himself from flinching – being alone with such a large monster was unnerving, especially since he wasn't sure of what she was thinking. "It's – I have a question, it's about my relationship with, with – " he began.

"You feel yourself to be inadequate as a partner for the future Monster Lord," Sphinx said bluntly, "and you desire my advice, as a high-level monster who was in love with a human, on how to deal with this."

"That's – That's right," Heinrich admitted.

Sphinx closed her eyes. " _He_ was actually quite like you," she murmured. "Not in appearance or even in temperament, but in the fact that he also came from a common background. After all, he was the _first_ king of Sabasa. I won't bore you with the details of how we met – suffice to say that there is nothing wrong with someone like you being with the likes of her."

"…Thank you," Heinrich said.

"And one more thing," Sphinx added. "It is common for those who are bound to powerful monsters to achieve greatness in their own right. My late husband, for example, was a past contractor of the earth spirit Gnome and slew a dragon in single combat – not one of the more common dragonkin, mind you, it was one of the rare ancient dragons. Even I am not sure of the reason for this trend – perhaps it is simply that the ones chosen by powerful monsters already have the capacity for greatness – but it is present all the same."

Heinrich considered these words. "You know, I used to admire the heroes in stories, the kind who were able to fight powerful monsters like that," he said. "I always wanted to be like them someday. But now that I've seen and talked to monsters, and – and fell in love with one, I just can't get that same feeling. Now, all I can really think about is how to make Mary happy."

Sphinx smiled, the first unambiguous sign of emotion that she had shown. "That is what it feels like to be wildly in love," she said. "A feeling I still remember… but I'm sure you don't wish to hear the ramblings of an old woman. In any case, your companions are waiting for you, I won't keep you from them any longer."

Since his question had been answered, Heinrich decided to leave and rejoin his companions. Just as he reached the exit of the room, Sphinx gave him one last piece of advice.

"Be careful. One does not always have the option of choosing their future."


	17. Chapter 16: Desert's Might

Walking through the desert was something that Edina had really grown to hate. It hadn't been so bad when they were travelling to Sabasa, as at least then she had a clear goal to focus on. But now that they were just wandering around trying to find one monster – admittedly a very large one – in an area the size of a small country. The heat wasn't the problem anymore, as she was now accustomed to it. The problem was how monotonous the desert was. The sight of sand dunes was pretty at first, but after a few days she had had enough of it.

Having other people around really helped. While it was too exhausting to talk during the day, Edina was able to spend the nights talking with her old friend Mary.

 _And I'll never get tired of teasing her,_ Edina thought. _It really is – hm?_

Edina's two companions had stopped and now had tense looks on their faces. She stopped as well and opened up her magical senses. She immediately realized the issue – none of the usual desert animals were present, while deep beneath the ground there was _something_ big.

"I think we've found her," Edina said.

"Thank you for pointing out the obvious," Mary said. "What should we do now?"

"I guess we have to try and get her to come to the surface, but how – " Heinrich began.

Suddenly, the ground shook violently. Edina nearly lost her balance. She discovered, to her alarm, that the thing underground was rising rapidly.

"This is bad, she's coming up and – " Edina said, " – and she's right below us!"

There wasn't time for any more words. Edina started running, even though she would never make it in time judging from the rate the vibrations were intensifying. Fortunately, Mary picked her up and leapt out of the danger zone. Beside them, Edina saw Heinrich also moving to safety while clad in the wind.

Behind them, the sand burst. An immense mass, as wide as an average house and far longer, emerged from the sand. For several seconds, there was a sound like constant thunder as the thing surfaced. Clouds of sand were stirred up and initially obscured their view. Then Mary swung her staff to clear away the sand with a gust of wind, allowing them to get a clear look.

The Sandworm Girl was by far the largest monster Edina had ever seen. She hadn't even fully emerged from the sand, but the part of her body that was aboveground was long enough to completely encircle a castle. Her body was greenish-brown, with the dorsal surface darker in colour and covered in bumps, while the ventral surface was paler and had two rows of short legs. These legs indicated that she was, contrary to what her name suggested, an insect monster. The body terminated in an eyeless head with a toothy mouth that could have swallowed an entire elephant.

At first, it looked like the Sandworm Girl had no humanoid features, similar to a primordial monster. Then her mouth opened. A pink shape emerged, one that resembled a tongue, but on closer inspection was actually a humanoid body. It resembled a human woman who was naked, pink-skinned and covered in viscous saliva, with ropy tentacles that joined her lower body to the floor of the worm's mouth. A novice might mistake this sight for a monster that was in the middle of eating a woman… but Edina knew that monster and woman were one and the same. From her experience of similarly large monsters, she knew that they began their lives with a tauric shape – that is, having a non-human lower body like a lamia or a centaur – and as they matured the lower body would grow rapidly and encase the upper like a shell.

The Sandworm Girl rubbed her eyes, presumably not used to the bright sun. She looked at each of the three in turn – and Edina didn't like her expression at all. It reminded her of the way certain monsters looked at her, the ones that saw humans as second-class citizens and advocated expansionist policies. It didn't help that the Sandworm Girl's true body was held at several times a human's height above the ground, allowing her to look down on them in the most literal sense of the word.

"Humans… in this part of the desert?" the Sandworm Girl said in a strange accent. She sounded like no modern-day monster, instead sounding somewhat like Sphinx. "What business do you have here?"

 _Instead of that, we should be asking why_ you _deliberately came up underneath us_ , Edina thought. _Because there's no way that you didn't notice where we were when you came up. But that wouldn't be diplomatic…_

Mary stepped forward. "We're sorry for disturbing you," she said. "We don't mean any harm, we'd just like to talk to you for a short while."

"As if puny things like you could harm me," the Sandworm Girl said.

Disregarding the insult, which would have been a factual statement if their group were what they seemed to be, Mary continued, "You see, it's about the people of Sabasa, the great city to the south. Recently, they've been suffering from a shortage of water. The problem isn't a lack of rain but rather the underground water vanishing faster than it should. Now – and I'm not accusing you of anything, just asking for information – do you happen to know anything about that?"

The Sandworm Girl was silent for a few seconds… then laughed. It was a perfectly normal sound, the kind that could be heard in everyday conversation… yet it sent a shiver down Edina's spine.

"Oh, so you're another one of those," the Sandworm Girl said. "It's been… I lost track of how long it's been since the last one. Probably more than a century, not that it really matters."

"…So people have asked you this before?" Mary said, presumably trying to interpret the situation as charitably as possible.

"There's been ten or twenty over the years," the Sandworm Girl said flippantly. "Some of them started out accusing me of taking the water, some of them were polite like you… really, they all should have just skipped to the point. I hate it when people waste time with useless words. Yes, I'm the one responsible. Just how much water do you think this body needs?"

"That makes things simpler," Mary said. "Is there anything you can do to reduce the amount of water you need to drink? For example, I know that monsters of your level often have shapeshifting capabilities, you should be able to lower your requirements if you take a smaller form. If that's not an option, could you move to a land where there are more resources?"

"No," the Sandworm Girl replied bluntly.

"And why not?" Mary asked, not losing a beat.

"Because it's my business what I do," the Sandworm Girl said. "My life to live. If that means others don't get enough, then too bad. Other monsters might have forgotten what monsters are supposed to be like and started living like humans, but not me. Living as you please, not letting others dictate your life… _that_ is what monsters are meant to be."

"That's not true!" Mary snapped. "That's not how monsters are meant to be at all!"

"And what would you know?" the Sandworm Girl sneered. "You're not just a mere human, you've been alive for, what, a couple of decades at most? I am an ancient monster. I was alive before that overgrown city was ever built. I was alive during the Great Monster Wars, I fought alongside the likes of the Lilith Sisters, I devoured countless angels. I was alive when the Dark Goddess and the Six Ancestors were still around… If they hadn't disappeared, monsterkind would never have degenerated to this extent."

The Sandworm Girl shifted threateningly, bringing her true body closer to them.

Mary maintained eye contact with the Sandworm Girl, not giving an inch. "If that's what your personal philosophy is, then let me make another suggestion," she said. "If you keep this up, the people of Sabasa aren't going to sit there and do nothing. Once they know what's causing their problem, they – "

"If you're going to threaten someone, make sure you can actually back it up," the Sandworm Girl said. "Humans, and monsters who've fallen so far as to be slaves to humans, aren't a match for me no matter how many there are."

Heinrich had been gritting his teeth and staying out of the conversation, but now he snapped. "Don't you have any sympathy for other people!? At this rate people are going to die because of your selfishness! I'm sure that you were also weak when you were a child, do you really think that – "

The Sandworm Girl laughed, even more mockingly than before. "As if I care," she said. "It's true, I used to be as tiny as you. But I didn't rely on anyone to survive, nor did anyone help me. Because of that, I grew to be this big and strong. I ate whatever I wanted…" She narrowed her eyes at Heinrich. "…and whoever I wanted."

The Sandworm Girl disappeared inside her worm body and charged, aiming directly at Heinrich. She did not succeed at swallowing him. Mary sent a gout of flame directly into the Sandworm Girl's mouth and, at the same time, Edina felt her body grow light and was carried away at high speed.

"Huh – what the – " Edina exclaimed.

"Sorry!"

Edina recognized the voice at Heinrich's and realized that he was carrying her. Specifically, he was holding her upper body with one arm and her legs with another – a position that she had only heard about in certain salacious books. As a consequence of this position, her face was very, _very_ close to his face.

"Wait, what are you doing!?" Edina asked, a little more forcefully than necessary.

Heinrich stopped on the side of a dune, a safe distance from where Mary and the Sandworm Girl were fighting, and set Edina down. He quickly replied, "S – Sorry, I had to get you out of the way!"

"No, it's – it's alright, I was just surprised," Edina said.

 _There's nothing wrong, people in fights often have to do things that would normally be embarrassing, there's nothing with it,_ Edina repeated to herself. _Anyway, focus on the situation. Heinrich was able to carry me by extending the power of the wind to me – that's a pretty impressive feat, isn't it? – and I never knew he looked like that close up and – wait, what am I even thinking!?_

Edina rapidly shook her head in an effort to clear her thoughts. She looked ahead to see a figure with purple membranous wings, darting about to avoid the attacks of the Sandworm Girl – Mary had been driven to reveal her identity as a monster. Mary was shooting out a constant barrage of fireballs, icicles and lightning bolts. Each spell was powerful enough to utterly destroy a human or low-level monster, but against the Sandworm Girl's thick shell Mary might as well have been throwing pebbles. Judging from how energetically the Sandworm Girl was moving, she hadn't been seriously hurt by Mary's first attack either.

"So you were actually a monster!?" the Sandworm Girl roared. "No wonder you were spouting off those stupid things! You think you can beat me just because of that!? I've fought lowly angels who were tougher than you!"

Edina felt mana gather within the Sandworm Girl. Then a torrent of black energy, so dark in colour that it seemed to devour the sun's light, was emitted from the Sandworm Girl's head. Mary just barely managed to dodge it.

 _She can use dark magic!?_ Edina thought. _I know that she's a veteran from the Great Monster Wars, but still!_

But there wasn't time for Edina and Heinrich to relax, either. Each movement of the Sandworm Girl sent rocks flying with enough force to pulverize bone. Consequently, even though they were out of reach of the Sandworm Girl's immense body, they had to keep moving to avoid getting hit. Since Edina couldn't move that fast on her own, even if she were to make an earth construct and ride it, she had to swallow her embarrassment and let Heinrich carry her.

The telepathic link was re-established, so the three of them frantically discussed the situation.

 _This is bad, I can't do anything to her,_ Mary said. _Only my big spells might work, but she's not giving me time to cast them!_

 _I can't do anything either!_ Heinrich said. _Unless you want me to try dodging her to death!?_

 _That's still better than what I can do,_ Edina said. _My earth constructs wouldn't even be able to slow her down, she'd tear through them like paper._

Mary was silent for a few seconds, though it felt to Edina like an eternity. _I have one idea, but I don't know if it will work,_ she said. _I might have remembered that lesson wrongly –_

 _Any idea is better than none, just say it!_ Edina said.

Mary explained her idea.

 _That should work, if the cooling is rapid enough – but can you really pull that other part off?_ Edina asked. _I thought that was just a legend._

 _I'll have to try,_ Mary replied. _You know what they say, the best time to achieve a breakthrough is in a dangerous situation!_

Edina was still unsure, but Heinrich said, _We don't really have any better options, so let's go with it! I'll hold her off for as long as you need!_

 _He really trusts her, doesn't he?_ Edina thought, looking at Heinrich's determined expression. _Dammit, as her childhood friend I'm not going to be upstaged here!_

Once Edina announced her agreement, the three of them discussed their plan until they were all clear on their individual roles.

Then Mary stopped her evasive maneuvers and started hovering in mid-air. For the first time in this battle, Heinrich headed towards the Sandworm Girl while Edina, still in his arms, prepared to attack the colossal monster. Edina pointed her staff down at the sand, sending out a wave of earth magic that lowered the viscosity of the sand around the Sandworm Girl.

 _I might not be able to match you in a contest of power, but I don't have to,_ Edina thought, as the Sandworm Girl thrashed about furiously. _All the strength in the world won't matter if you don't have something to push against._

However, Edina used up almost all of her mana just to alter this amount of sand. It wasn't long before the Sandworm Girl's movements displaced all of the altered sand, giving her a proper substrate again.

Before the Sandworm Girl could turn her attention to the unmoving Mary, Heinrich carried out his role in the plan. He dashed close to the Sandworm Girl – suicidally close, in Edina's opinion – and kicked a large rock towards the head of her worm body. It didn't inflict even the slightest injury, but luck was on their side and the enraged Sandworm Girl went for the closer target. She chased after them, pulling the rest of her massive body out of the ground in the process. Heinrich fled at an incredible speed, changing direction repeatedly, but the Sandworm Girl was – to Edina's mounting horror – slowly closing in.

Just as Edina was about to offer a prayer to the Dark Goddess, Heinrich _jumped_. A powerful gale blew on him and Edina, sending them shooting through the air even faster than before.

""AAAAAaaarrghhh!""

They both screamed in terror at the unfamiliar sensation of flying. The ground rushed towards them and, for a brief moment, Edina thought they'd crash. Thankfully, Heinrich managed the landing and continued fleeing.

Finally, Edina heard two incredibly reassuring words.

 _I'm ready!_

Edina felt a surge of magic, greater than any she had ever felt before. In response, she pointed her staff at the Sandworm Girl and altered just the sand in front of her. Thanks to her incredible momentum, the Sandworm Girl was only slowed by a few seconds – but that was all the time Heinrich needed to get himself and Edina to a safe distance. Edina looked up at the hovering Mary.

"The flames of hell that incinerate all – Prominence!"

Mary launched a ball of blinding orange light, one that resembled a miniature sun, from her staff at the Sandworm Girl. Upon impact, it produced a colossal explosion that forced the Sandworm Girl to the ground and turned the sand into glass. Even though Edina was a considerable distance from the explosion's centre, the shockwave was powerful enough that it would have knocked her down if she wasn't ready for it. The radiant heat burned her exposed skin while the violent sound shook her to her core.

Despite being hit by a top-class fire spell, the Sandworm Girl was far from defeated. She reared up and tried to lunge at Mary –

– then Mary cast her spell again, just a few seconds after the first casting. A second ball of fire shot towards the Sandworm Girl and exploded. The Sandworm Girl thrashed about in pain, her exoskeleton heated to the point of being red-hot in places. The smell of burnt flesh filled Edina's nose.

Mary landed and retraced her wings into her body. "Are you two okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Edina said, after which Heinrich said the same thing. Edina continued, "More importantly, I can't believe you actually pulled off double casting."

"It was actually easier than I expected," Mary said. "A bit like – how should I put this? – a bit like holding two arrows in your hand while using a bow, so you can shoot one and then quickly shoot the second one."

 _Where'd she get that analogy from?_ Edina thought. _She doesn't practice archery herself, so did she hear about that from one of the castle guards? And I doubt double casting is as simple as that, otherwise everyone would be doing it – dammit Mary, just how much of a prodigy are you?_

While Edina thought this, Mary wasn't idle. She started gathering mana again in preparation for another attack. This absurd mana capacity was one of her most terrifying traits – Edina believed that if the top ten human mages in the world were gathered together, they would still run dry before Mary did.

The Sandworm Girl struggled in an attempt to advance. Her outer mouth fell open, revealing her true body again. From the pained expression on her face, she was clearly in poor condition, but she still had the strength to say, "That's… not enough… to put me down… I'll… crush you!"

As the Sandworm Girl approached once more, Edina raised her staff and Heinrich raised his sword, ready to risk their lives to buy even one more second for Mary to finish casting. Fortunately, that wasn't necessary.

"A time of ice that never thaws – Ice Age!"

This time, a glittering white ball was launched from Mary's staff. Upon impact, the Sandworm Girl was frozen and then _shattered_. Ice spread over the sand, and within seconds a sizable patch of desert had been converted to frozen wasteland.

The three of them were silent for a few moments, as if they expected the ancient monster to rise up and continue the fight. Once it was clear that wasn't going to happen, they let out a collective sigh of relief.

"I still can't believe that worked," Mary said.

"That's why you should pay attention in science class," Edina replied, shivering a little. "Still, it was a good idea. Insect monsters might be resistant to heat, but being heated up and then suddenly cooled down will ruin anyone's day."

"Anyway, it should be over with this," Heinrich said. "Without the Sandworm Girl, there should be enough water for Sabasa."

"If only all problems could be solved this easily," Edina muttered. "Well, let's head back to the city."

They turned and started their journey back south, leaving the remains of the Sandworm Girl behind. Being a product of magic, the ice would soon vanish on its own and allow the remains to decay.

Heinrich turned towards Edina and said, "Oh, and – sorry for picking you up back then. It was the only way to – "

"It's fine, it's fine," Edina said quickly. "There's no time for things like embarrassment or dignity in a fight. And if you're worried about carrying a princess, maybe you should rethink who you're in a relationship with?" Upon seeing Heinrich's and Mary's awkward expressions, Edina quickly added, "Wait, that wasn't meant to be serious!"

However, now that she'd been reminded of it, Edina recalled the way Heinrich had held her, the way they had fought side by side. For someone with her upbringing, it was an unfamiliar experience.

She wanted to try it again sometime.

-ooo-

Three days later, they returned to Sabasa. As they approached the city they saw something unusual in the desert – a bank of thick, dark clouds. The rain began shortly after they stepped through the gates.

The people of Sabasa initially didn't get their hopes up. They did set out containers to catch as much rainwater as possible, but that was all. It wasn't until a few days later, when word spread that the underground water wasn't unnaturally depleting, that the celebrations started.

Sabasa blossomed with life. Quite literally, as the elves and fairies worked hard to revitalize the city garden into a picture of unrivalled beauty. There were feasts and festivals everywhere, with the singing and dancing continuing well into the night.

Mary was sitting on the edge of a roof, looking out on the festivities. She had taken part in them earlier, but after a few hours she'd decided to have a rest. Heinrich was still out there somewhere. Mary was happy that he was able to socialize and enjoy himself. As for Edina –

"Hey, mind if I sit next to you?"

"Go ahead," Mary replied.

Edina sat down, with a bottle in hand.

"Ah, it really is nice to get a chance to relax," Edina said. "Walking for several days in a row can really get tiring."

"That's why I always told you to get more exercise," Mary teased.

"Come on, I'm not that unfit," Edina pouted. "I've been keeping up until now, haven't I?"

The two of them were silent for a while, just watching the view.

"Helping people can be hard work, I'll admit that," Mary said. "Still, when you get to see the results… it makes it all worth it in the end."

"That's true," Edina said. She was deep in thought for a while before continuing, "Although – I did mention earlier about how it's a shame we can't be open about this, right? How much do you remember of your lessons about politics?"

"Not that much," Mary admitted. "But I did start reading books about it, both ones I brought along and others I bought along the way."

"Well, one of the main points is how, at the level of nations, it's not really possible to do things for free," Edina said. "For example, say a neighbouring country has a problem with bandits and its own army can't handle them – perhaps due to being sent elsewhere, it doesn't really matter. You, the leader of your own country, send in your army to take care of the bandits – of course, getting permission from the other country first to avoid causing any trouble. Now, how much do you think it costs it feed, equip and pay the soldiers you sent out? How much to take care of any who get injured? The costs add up quickly. So whenever you do something for another country like that, there's always the expectation of a reward, like getting a better trade deal."

"I understand that," Mary said. "It was part of a chapter about how a leader can't afford to follow the same morals as the common folk. When I first read that, I thought it was just an excuse for bad behavior – but during this journey, I realized what it meant."

"Though at the same time, it's not good to discard those morals, either," Edina said. "A leader who forgets what the people want can hardly serve them. That's the path that leads to corrupt and tyrannical rulers, the ones who get beaten and overthrown in the stories. It can be a difficult balance, admittedly."

Mary smiled. "Someone else told me the same thing," she said. "But since we're going with the pragmatic option, we can't reveal who we are, either. There's no way to get any political favours without that."

"That's why I'm grumbling about it," Edina said, taking a drink from her bottle. She looked out at the city, her eyes slightly unfocused, then said, "Ah, screw it, I'm telling you."

"What do you – "

Edina looked straight at Mary and said, "I think I've fallen for Heinrich."

Mary almost fell off the roof. She quickly grabbed onto the edge and said, "Wait, what? I must have heard you wrong!"

"No, it's exactly what you heard," Edina said firmly. "I – I – I guess I should start from the beginning. At first, I wasn't entirely sure about why you were interested in him, to be honest, but – but after these past weeks of travelling together, fighting together, I… now I know."

Edina looked away again.

Mary was thrown into a chaotic mess of thoughts. Since she'd never really thought about romance for most of her life, she was _not_ prepared for this kind of situation. The only times she'd encountered such a situation were in certain salacious books and some people she knew… or rather, most of the people she knew. And in both cases, the situation had been resolved in the same way.

 _What do I do, am I supposed to follow their lead and – but what would that even involve, would we end up taking turns, or –_

"I can't even really explain why I feel this way," Edina continued. "It's just, when he carried me back during the fight, I got to see him up close and felt my heart race and – argh, I'm not sure how to describe it! What I am sure of is – is that these feelings are real."

Both of them fell silent out of embarrassment.

Edina suddenly stood up. "Alright, now I've told you!" she said. "I'm still not sure what to do about these feelings, but first I should tell them to the one they're directed towards. Just where did he go – huh?"

Edina put her hand to her hand and, at the same time, Mary felt the sensation of telepathy. Edina spent more than a minute conversing with the person at the other end of the link. Once it was over, Edina let out an exasperated sigh.

"It was my father," Edina explained. "It seems that I won't be leaving Sabasa for a while."

"What? How come?" Mary asked.

"It seems that my father plans on opening up relations with the countries of Sentora," Edina said. "To that end, he wants to learn more about them first. But since we don't _have_ that many people outside Hellgondo, it's up to the few who do exist to do their duty… and I'm one of them."

"We could stay with you, we could help – " Mary began.

"You could, but I don't want to hold you back," Edina said.

"Come on, don't be ridiculous!" Mary said. "It's not like me and Heinrich are in any hurry!"

" _You_ might not be in a hurry, but I don't think your family would appreciate it if you were away for too long – hasn't it already been over half a year?" Edina said. Then she grinned and gave a mischievous wink. "Besides, I'm sure you want some time alone with Heinrich!"

"Th – that's not – I don't want to – I mean," Mary stammered.

"And it's hardly the end of the world, either," Edina said. "Friends have to spend time apart all the time. And we're better off than most, since we'll still be able to keep in contact with telepathy."

After some more debate, Mary ended up reluctantly agreeing. She and Heinrich would stay in Sabasa for one or two more days, then head off on the next stage of their adventure. Of course, this still left one more issue unresolved.

"So, um, what did you end up deciding?" Mary asked. "About how to handle – erm…"

"I'm… not actually sure about that yet," Edina said. "First, we'd better actually find Heinrich first. I'll figure out what to say to him then."

They descended the stairs of the building and stepped out into the street, still chatting about what they were going to say.

-ooo-

Alice VII let out a sigh. An action like this wasn't becoming of the Monster Lord, but anyone in her state of fatigue would do the same. Since she was in her personal room, it didn't matter either way.

She approached a large, ornate mirror and observed her reflection. Tall, taller than most humans and many monsters; platinum blonde hair that reached just past her hips; white skin with a faint hint of purple; golden eyes; the lower body of an immense purple snake; wings covered in scarlet feathers; and an elaborate dress that was black with gold trim and designed to accommodate her body shape.

 _It's not the most practical form for moving around inside a building. Even if most rooms and corridors in this building are large, some are small enough to feel cramped in, especially when there's many people gathered together. But a Monster Lord must keep up appearances… especially when dealing with the likes of_ them.

After making sure she was ready, Alice VII slithered out of the room and along the corridor. She passed by polished wooden furniture and statues of finely carved marble. Above her head, chandeliers of enchanted crystal filled the castle with a gentle violet light. Underneath was a red carpet made from the finest of imported wool.

Of course, a castle of this size and splendor could not be maintained without numerous servants. Whenever she encountered one, they would stop their current duties to lower their heads. Although she showed no external signs of acknowledgement, simply continuing without a word, internally was a different matter.

 _When was the last time I could interact with someone as an equal?_ Alice VII thought. _I can't even remember._

The Monster Lord sighed. Her two daughters still treated her as a parent, even if one of them was reluctant about it. The two men with whom she had fathered said daughters had been little more than acquaintances. Impregnating a Monster Lord took significantly more… _effort_ than for lesser monsters, so it was not feasible for them to have proper husbands. A Monster Lord's mate was selected from a pool of volunteers, and the duty was so draining that no man could be chosen twice lest they potentially die. It was of course possible for a Monster Lord to have casual relationships, but Alice VII – unlike her younger daughter – wasn't interested in doing so. Of course, she could not be on equal terms with the servants or the nobles. Ultimately, the most powerful person on the surface of this world was also its most isolated.

Alice VII shook her head. Now was not the time to dwell on such thoughts.

 _Focus on the job. Now… I met Sköll last month, she wanted more hunting grounds for her beasts… that will be difficult to arrange in the current climate… Simurgh was two weeks ago, she wanted a guarantee that the nests of her harpies would be secure from all threats… a simple request on the face of it, but considering where those nests are located… And last week was Leviathan, her desire was to enforce monster sovereignty over the seas… considering how much human fishing and shipping has increased in the past few decades, that will likely be impossible to grant…_

While her mind was thus occupied, Alice VII entered the throne room of the Monster Lord's Castle. It was fairly crowded, with dozens of nobles and servants milling about. Most were of course monsters, though there were a few humans, mainly Reminans. As usual, one servant announced her arrival and everyone in the room turned towards her and knelt… but not all of them did so with the same level of deference. Alice VII's eyes settled on one particular monster near the throne.

At first glance, this monster seemed to be of the alraune race. She resembled a human woman nestled within an immense flower. Her upper half had purple skin and purple hair that reached down past her hips, while her lower half had pink petals and – unlike most plant monsters – purple leaves and vines. She wore no clothes, something that was common among monsters in general. She was casually reclining against the petals of her flower. When Alice VII had entered, this monster hadn't bothered to change her posture, merely lowering her head slightly. From any other monster, this would have been an unacceptable breach of etiquette… but such behavior was standard from her.

Thalia Nereneid. The leader of a nomadic group of monsters that roamed around the Gold region of Sentora. A distant relative to the Fateburn family, she possessed the genes of many different monster races and, contrary to her appearance, was technically a yoma. She was, both on a personal and a political level, one of the most powerful monsters alive… and at the same time, an embodiment of the worst parts of monsterkind.

"Thank you for taking the time to meet me," Thalia said. "I know that you must be very busy, what with all of the problems you have to deal with."

"It's no trouble at all," Alice VII said, forcing herself to appear calm. "Granting audiences to those in need is merely one of the responsibilities of the Monster Lord."

"Perhaps, but I have to thank you all the same," Thalia said. "And if I may ask, how are your daughters?"

"They are quite well," Alice VII said. "The younger is currently in the castle, albeit in the middle of one of her lessons, while the elder is, as you may have heard, travelling around the continent in order to gain more experience as my eventual successor."

"That's good to hear," Thalia said. "Though it is an unpleasant reminder of the fact that I have no children of my own. I've yet to find a man who was up to the task of being my mate…quite the tragedy, wouldn't you agree?"

These words were delivered in a casual tone, yet they caused most of the people in the room to shudder or look away. It was an open secret that the Nereneids and their followers followed the ancient philosophy of monsterkind – that is, they believed that the strong could do whatever they pleased to the weak. Any human or weaker monster who crossed their path would be taken as a plaything or as food… or both. But they were also extremely careful: whenever they were visited by the Monster Lord or one of her agents, they put on the appearance of a perfectly law-abiding group, with no captives to be seen.

And not everyone in the room had shown disapproval. Over twenty of the monster nobles, including members of many different races, either showed no reaction or nodded along with Thalia's words. Alice VII heard some of them even say that they had the same "problem" of humans not lasting long enough for them.

This was the greatest issue of Alice VII's reign – and it had been present ever since the end of the Great Monster Wars. Although there was officially peace between humans and monsters, there were countless exceptions to this rule. The Nereneids were just the most infamous example, there were numerous others, such as the slaver group in Plansect Village, who defied the Monster Lord's laws and preyed on humans. Other monsters tended to turn a blind eye to their activities – often out of self-preservation, as it was generally the stronger monsters who broke the rules.

A strong leader was needed to maintain order in such times. The Monster Lord needed to not only be a capable fighter but also to be willing to do what was necessary… and to pass these traits on to her successor.

 _But to force someone as kind as Mary into such a position… It's not something a decent mother would do. I knew… I knew what would likely happen if I sent her out, that she would encounter a situation like those insect slavers, yet I… did it regardless. And then there's everything that's happened since… It's no wonder she hates me. She is right to do so…_

Alice VII did not let these thoughts show on her face. She could not do so, not with her enemies alert for any signs of weakness. Therefore, she refocused her mind and continued her conversation with a true monster.

* * *

 **AN: MGQ fans will be aware that the Sandworm Girl here doesn't fully match the MGQ portrayal of one. Monster Girl Encyclopedia fans will also be aware that she matches the MGE Sandworm instead (though the worm body is modelled after the MGQ one). This is one case where I decided to go with a marginally more realistic body shape. The MGQ Sandworm Girl looks the way she does (giant human body attached to a giant worm) because she was designed to appeal to the giantess/size difference fetish. But it raises lots of questions, like how she's supposed to even reproduce. I changed her shape to this because I felt it made more sense. MGQ already has a similar monster in the Dragon Girl, anyway.**


	18. Chapter 17: To Ashes and Dust

Heinrich inhaled sharply. He raised his sword and dashed forward.

He and Mary were sparring. There was one major difference between this and their previous sessions: Mary was currently in a monstrous form. Numerous sucker-lined tentacles extended out from under her dress. She used these to attack Heinrich directly, to throw things at him and to pull herself around at superhuman speeds. This was possible because Sylph was currently materialised and using her power to make sure that there was nobody around to observe them. They could technically have done this before, but it was only recently that Heinrich had become strong enough.

And Heinrich was definitely on an entirely different level than before. Despite receiving several attacks each and every second, he had mastered the wind to the point of being able to dodge or parry all of them. On one occasion, he was even able to divert Mary's tentacles so that they got tangled up. However, when he tried to take advantage of this opportunity, his sword merely cut clothing while sliding off Mary's skin. Heinrich quickly jumped back to avoid the now-unravelled tentacles.

"Not bad, but even with an orichalcum sword you're still not strong enough to actually injure me," Mary said.

A large, fleshy siphon appeared from under Mary's dress. It shot out a torrent of black ink that was blocked by the barrier of wind, but it still obscured Heinrich's vision for an instant. Heinrich quickly leaped back, but Mary closed in with even greater speed than she had shown before. Her tentacles shot out and coiled around his body, completely sealing off his movement.

"You need to be more careful," Mary said. "Depending on the race, a monster can have a range of different natural weapons: insects have venomous stingers and additional arms, plants have vines and pollen, scyllas and other sea-dwellers have tentacles and ink, land-dwellers can have acidic slime or even poisonous breath, and so on. It can be a lot to keep track of, but that's what it takes to fight monsters."

"Thanks, I'll bear that in mind," Heinrich said. He made a pointless attempt to break free and added, "Damn, I can't believe how strong you are."

"Heh, that's only natural!" Mary said, puffing out her chest proudly. "I used to juggle boulders for practice, you know! Anyway, this is why you need to make a contract with Gnome as well. While there's not many monsters stronger than me, there's a lot that are stronger than you."

"Yeah, that would be a good idea," Heinrich said, making another attempt to break free. It would have been easier to break iron chains using only his fingers.

"After all, if I was a hostile monster, you'd never be able to… get out… of my grip…" Mary said, trailing off towards the end. She quickly released Heinrich and turned away.

Heinrich felt a slight disturbance in the wind, the kind associated with emotional turmoil. "Hey, are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine, just hungry!" Mary said, thought her face was hidden from Heinrich. "Anyway, that's enough training for today, what's for dinner?"

Heinrich continued to be suspicious of Mary's behaviour. Throughout dinner – which consisted of dried vegetables and fried scorpion – Heinrich kept an eye on Mary and continued to monitor the flow of the wind. From what he could discern, the emotion she was feeling was like hunger but there was also something more… primal to it. Heinrich wasn't certain, he hadn't felt this kind of emotion before.

 _Hey, Sylph, do you know what this is?_ Heinrich asked.

 _Er… umm… actually, I've never felt anything like this either!_ Sylph replied. _Really! I haven't!_

Heinrich was naturally sceptical of this reply. _Are you sure about that?_

 _I… well… er… hey! Remember what Edina said to you last week!?_

 _Hey, that's – that's not fair!_

This made Heinrich remember what he'd tried to completely erase from his memory. The words that his inexperienced mind just wasn't equipped to handle.

"I spent the whole day wondering how to put this, but… in the end I'll make it simple. Heinrich, I love you."

Heinrich couldn't clearly remember what had happened after that. He was pretty sure that he'd stammered out a reply, then Edina had apologised for putting him in a tough position, then she'd explained her need to stay behind in Sabasa, and sometime after that he and Mary had left the city. The lack of details only made it worse.

 _Last year, I was just an orphaned kid in a tiny country village, with no real future beyond more of the same,_ Heinrich thought. _Now I – basically, now I've seen more of the world in a few months than most people do in their entire lifetimes, I've got an ancient spirit of wind in my head that makes me faster than a flying bird, and I'm in a relationship with a princess of monsters and also have a second princess interested in me? This doesn't make any sense!_

 _Hey, you don't have to put yourself down like that!_ Sylph interrupted. _Er – hey, didn't lots of heroes in the stories come from humble backgrounds as well?_

That much was true, Heinrich had to admit. Granted, those heroes also fought powerful monsters and gained the love of their princesses that way, which was the exact opposite of Heinrich's relationship with Mary. However, none of the stories that Heinrich knew ever involved a love triangle like this.

Heinrich stood up, excused himself and headed off on a walk. Once he was some distance away, he sighed and looked up at the moonlit sky. Just what exactly could he do?

Edina was in Sabasa and they wouldn't see her again for the foreseeable future. It was possible to keep in touch via telepathy, but that wasn't a full substitute for being able to meet in person.

Mary was… well, she was just as inexperienced in the field of romance as Heinrich. Back in Sabasa, she had suggested that they wait a while before they have a proper discussion, to give themselves time to think. Heinrich had agreed – anything to put off this awkward topic as long as possible. But it couldn't be delayed forever…

Sylph was… Sylph.

Heinrich thought back to the various monster settlements he'd visited. There were multiple monsters for every human man, so it was only natural for one man to be the target of more than one monster's affections. And how was this situation resolved?

Heinrich shook his head furiously. The images in his head were – well, they were the sort that could get him executed if other people knew about them. Or would they?

 _No… that's just wishful thinking,_ Heinrich insisted to himself. _I'd better get to bed early, so I'm well-rested for tomorrow._

Shutting out Sylph's words, Heinrich returned to the camp and lay down for the night.

In hindsight, he really should have cleared his mind before going to sleep. Because he neglected to do so, his sleep was restless and filled with dreams of a very embarrassing nature.

-ooo-

The next day they encountered something to take their minds off romantic troubles. Considering the nature of this distraction, however, it was also not something to be thankful for.

They started moving at dawn, as usual. After about an hour, they sensed something in the distance. Due to Heinrich's improving wind sense, he noticed the object just a few seconds after Mary did. The two of them soon realised that it was a person, either a human woman or a monster disguised as one. Moreover, she was lying on the ground and dressed in tattered clothes. If she wasn't dead already, the myriad hazards of the desert meant that she wouldn't have much time left. They quickened their pace and closed the distance.

Mary shouted as she approached, "Hey, are you okay?"

The woman stirred. She opened her eyes and looked drowsily at her rescuer. "You… no, this can't be real…" She said.

"No, I can assure you that we're real," Mary said. She reached towards her waterskin and brought it towards the woman's mouth. "Here, have some – "

There was a blur of motion, a flash of silver. Mary swung her staff and knocked the dagger out of the woman's hand. She and Heinrich then leapt back.

All the way back in Port Safina, the two of them had been warned of exactly this kind of situation. People who pretended to be in need of help in order to lure travellers into an ambush.

And this woman wasn't alone. As she got to her feet and pulled out another dagger, five other people burst from the sand all around them, all similarly armed and dressed in rags. Unlike the woman, they had unhealthily pale skin and, in some places, stitched-up wounds.

 _What!?_ Heinrich thought, shocked. _I couldn't sense them at all, and neither did Mary! Even if they were under the sand –_

 _Wait, these guys aren't breathing and they don't have any pulse…_ Sylph said. _They're undead! Zombies!_

Now Heinrich remembered that the Mummy Girls back at the Pyramid also lacked these signs of life. These zombies didn't seem to be as powerful as them, but Heinrich still couldn't let his guard down.

Heinrich invoked the power of the wind and charged at one of the zombies. He swung his sword at the zombie's neck. A living person would have been instantly incapacitated from the pain and die from blood loss in seconds. However, the zombie ignored having half of its neck cut through and stabbed with its dagger. The attack was slow and lacking in finesse – Heinrich could have probably dodged it even without using the wind.

Then another attacked – it was the woman who had originally lured them into the ambush. Unlike the zombies, she did have breathing and a pulse. Heinrich slashed at her arm. The woman dropped her dagger but showed no signs of pain, instead swinging her arms wildly at Heinrich. Red blood spurted from the wound, yet the woman continued her assault.

 _What's going on?_ Heinrich wondered as he continued dodging. _It doesn't look like she's a zombie – does she just not feel pain or care about dying? Something's off about this._

The now-familiar sensation of telepathy entered Heinrich's mind. _Sylph's probably told you by now, but these are zombies,_ Mary said. _They don't need blood or most of their organs, they can only be permanently killed by damaging the brain._

 _So in other words, basically the worst kind of opponent for me to fight,_ Heinrich said.

 _I wouldn't say that, slimes would probably be the worst opponent for a swordsman,_ Mary replied casually as she dodged her own attackers. _But they are weak to fire, something I've got plenty of!_

Heinrich and Mary both leaped out of the group of zombies. Before any of the zombies could take more than two steps, Mary raised her staff and unleashed a cone of flame. The zombies did not react as they were burnt to ashes – something that Heinrich felt was even more disturbing than if they'd screamed in pain.

Once it was all over, Mary slowly approached the ashes. "Someone was in control of these zombies," she said. "It's possible for undead to appear naturally, but natural undead wouldn't use a strategy like these ones did. What's more, I sensed a line of magical energy, connecting the zombies to a place over the horizon, in that direction."

Heinrich looked towards the east, to where Mary was pointing. "I see," he said. "I'm guessing that the one in control – the necromancer, is using these zombies to attack travellers and rob them."

"And probably to add to their army as well," Mary said. "Zombies can't heal from even the slightest injury on their own, and white magic doesn't heal them – in fact, it actually hurts them. They would need to be – " Mary knitted her eyebrows, clearly revolted by the idea, " – constantly replaced."

Heinrich looked at the ashes. He thought of how he'd been raised with the belief that the bodies of the dead should be allowed to rest in the ground, lest their souls be barred from a peaceful afterlife. While many of his beliefs had changed over the course of this journey, that one remained. "At least now they're no longer slaves," he said.

The two of them buried the ashes. Afterwards, Mary said, "There's one more thing that was strange about the zombies. Specifically, the first one we saw. Did you figure it out as well?"

Heinrich thought for a moment, then said, "She didn't seem to be dead like the others. She was breathing and had a heartbeat – but she also didn't seem to feel pain."

Mary nodded. "When I got close to her, I was able to sense a faint trace of dark energy," she said. "The same kind that I sensed from the others. When the other zombies showed up, that trace grew stronger. I'm pretty sure that they were all zombies. I assume that the necromancer found some way to make a zombie appear to be alive, including suppressing the dark energy that zombies would normally emit, to better act as – well, as bait."

Both of them fell silent. Then they made their decision. They headed towards the east, towards the creator of the zombies.

The two of them marched tirelessly in the direction of the magical trail. After about ten minutes, the next group of attackers appeared.

Five zombies rose up from the sand. All of them had once been human men, and all wore basic armour and carried spears. The zombies raised their spears and charged.

Most people would have focused on the obvious threat in this situation. But since Heinrich had Sylph's power and Mary was a monster with many superhuman senses, they both noticed the sixth zombie hidden off to the side. This zombie was armed with a bow and fired an arrow at the two of them. Since he'd already called on the power of the wind, Heinrich knocked the arrow out of the air with his sword and ran towards the zombie.

Up close, Heinrich saw that the zombie was, unlike the previous ones, an elf. She wore light clothing designed for mobility and, despite the lack of expression on her face, was nocking another arrow to her bow. Heinrich knocked her down with a gust of wind and decapitated her with a single stroke of his sword. To Heinrich's discomfort, the eyes and mouth of the severed head continued to move.

There wasn't any time to dawdle. Heinrich saw the bright flash of fire magic out of the corner of his eye. He returned to find that Mary had effortlessly incinerated the first five zombies. After burning the elf zombie's remains as well and burying all of the ashes, they two of them continued.

The trail led them to an abandoned fort. It was two storeys high and composed of large sandstone blocks, though the passage of time had greatly worn away at the structure. There used to be an exterior wall, but it had long since collapsed with only rubble left behind to mark its former location. Presumably, the fort had been built in a time when war ravaged the Safina region, then abandoned after it was no longer needed.

The moment he noticed the fort, Heinrich stopped and raised his guard. It wasn't that he sensed a dangerous presence within the building – rather, it was because he couldn't sense _anything_ , not even the small animals that would normally use the structure for shelter. He could sense the flow of the wind outside the fort, but the inside was a blind spot. Mary had a similar reaction.

"Magical jamming," Mary said. "It's a way of hindering magical senses that's used by skilled mages, it basically involves creating a fog out of disordered mana. I heard of it being used in war to hide the exact number and composition of troops. After we destroyed all of those zombies, it's no wonder that they set up this kind of countermeasure."

"Can you smell anything?" Heinrich asked.

Mary shook her head, saying "They seem to have prepared for that as well. It wouldn't be unusual out here for monsters to attack."

But even if it was a trap, they had to enter regardless. They couldn't just destroy the entire building, not when they didn't know who might be inside. Mary cast a spell on Heinrich that would help protect him from attacks, a bit of white magic that she'd learned recently, and they walked up to the door.

The moment they opened the door, a zombified Scorpion Girl charged at them, attacking with massive claws and stinger tail. Mary vaporised her from the waist up with a gout of flame. She and Heinrich stepped around the corpse and into the fort.

The first room was large and open with minimal furniture. In the past, it would have been able to hold several platoons of soldiers at once. Now, it was occupied by half a dozen zombies, all made from the corpses of desert monsters, and three humans in dark grey robes. The zombies wielded daggers, axes, clubs or their natural weapons, while the humans wielded wooden staves.

"So you're the ones who've been destroying our zombies," one of the humans, a dark-skinned man, said. "Looking at you now, I can see how you managed that."

"Did you really have to do that?" Said a second man. "Do you have any idea of how long it took to make them? No, I guess you wouldn't. You adventurers spend all your time running around and messing things up and – "

"Well, it's over now!" said the third human, a woman. She turned towards the zombies and ordered, "Attack them!"

The zombies charged, with the same recklessness as the previous ones. Mary raised her staff and Heinrich prepared to take on any that she didn't burn with the first spell. Suddenly, Mary turned to the side and struck out with several tentacles. The approaching zombie dodged all of the tentacles by ducking low, then slashed with their sword towards Heinrich. The young man raised his sword and successfully blocked the attack, but the newcomer was unbelievably strong and easily pushed him back. Heinrich disengaged from the blade clash by jumping to the side, but by then he had been pushed almost up to the wall, far away from Mary.

Heinrich didn't have time to relax, though, as the zombie attacked again. While just barely fending off the quick and deadly strikes, Heinrich examined his opponent. She was a zombified dragonkin, with a long tail and scales of a dull red colour. She wielded a sword that seemed like a work of art, made from a metal that looked like steel yet gave off an impression of something far greater.

 _Even if I can't sense anything through the wind, I couldn't hear her coming at all!_ Heinrich thought. _If she's like this as a zombie, just how skilled was she in life!?_

The dragonkin zombie was so strong and skilled that Heinrich couldn't hold his ground. He was forced out of the room and into a corridor.

-ooo-

Of course, Mary didn't simply let her companion be separated from her. When the dragonkin zombie started pushing Heinrich away, Mary tried to blast her with an ice spell. However, she felt a sensation, like water draining out of a container, and her spell failed. Before she could try again, two of the zombies approached and she was forced to turn her attention to them.

"Didn't expect that, did you?" the female necromancer said, her staff pointed at Mary. "High-ranking monsters like you are all the same, you think you're invincible because you're so much stronger than humans, you never think that we might have figured out ways around that!"

 _Magic sealing, hm?_ Mary thought. _I could break through it by putting more power into my spells, but that would risk bringing down the building, I can't risk that when I'm not sure where Heinrich is – it's a simple plan, but definitely an effective one._

The other two necromancers focused on directing the zombies, making them attack Mary constantly and from all directions. The zombies themselves were no small threat: even if they had been normal monsters in life, undeath had increased their strength and removed any sense of fear or self-preservation. Combined with their numbers and the differing weapons and body shapes of each individual zombie, they were a force that would have overwhelmed most fighters.

Of course, Mary was quite a bit stronger than the average monster. Unleashing the monster organs that she normally kept hidden, she tripped up one zombie with a tentacle, used another tentacle to throw the zombie at a second, and blinded a third zombie with a splash of ink. Even without magic, she was not about to lose to a few mindless corpses.

"Impressive," muttered the first necromancer, who seemed to be the leader of the group. "I'd ask your name, but I suspect you wouldn't be willing to tell us."

"That's right, sorry about that," Mary said. "Let me ask a question of my own: just what is your goal? You don't give off the impression of simple bandits."

"Indeed," the necromancer replied. "Those activities are simply to support our livelihoods. Our goal, the reason we isolated ourselves in a remote place like this, is to study the true meaning of death. After all, it's the destination that awaits all of us, human or monster. But our craft is not accepted in civilised society, so we had no other option except this."

"Well, that's old history at this point," the second male necromancer said. "Anyway, you can't keep this up forever! You'll get tired eventually, but zombies never do – that's why they're so useful. And that dragonkin used to be a famous fighter, so your partner doesn't stand a chance either!"

"Enough talk," the first necromancer said. "It's time to end this."

The zombies closed in. Mary had been holding back before – it was much more disturbing to fight zombies with her bare hands and tentacles instead of magic – but now she had no choice but to use her full strength.

Using punches, elbow strikes and tentacle strikes, Mary crushed the skulls of five of the zombies. The sixth, though, was another story. It wore a helmet, breastplate, armguards and greaves made out of a metal that Mary didn't recognise. Whatever it was made from, this armour was so sturdy that Mary actually hurt herself slightly when she struck it.

 _Wait, this is – could it be!?_

-ooo-

For the seventeenth time, Heinrich retreated with the dragonkin zombie in hot pursuit. He was the faster of the two, but not by much, and the tight confines of the corridor made it difficult for him to fully exploit this advantage.

Heinrich had been fighting against the powerful zombie for over a minute and all over the fort. He was only able to fight defensively, as his opponent did not give him a single opportunity to attack. To make matters worse, other zombies joined in the fight. While none of them were as strong as the dragonkin or even the ones under the necromancers' direct control, the distractions they provided still kept Heinrich on his toes. He had to make full use of his sword and power over wind to survive. The defensive spell Mary had given him helped.

However, the dragonkin zombie did have one weakness. She had been fighting in the exact same way throughout the fight, not adapting to Heinrich's fighting style at all. Presumably, this was a consequence of her undeath – being unable to ever learn anything new. The reverse was not true, as although the zombie's attacks were strong, fast, and followed the shortest possible trajectory, Heinrich grew better and better at parrying them.

When the zombie made a particularly powerful attack, Heinrich raised his sword to parry it. He planned on knocking the sword away to make the zombie lose her balance, then to cut through the muscle of her sword arm. He considered aiming for the head or neck instead, but dragonkin had tough bodies and he wasn't confident in being able to cut through the bone. An injury to her sword arm should still hinder her to the point that Heinrich would be able to win.

The moment the two swords made contact, Heinrich's sword shattered.

 _What!?_

Thanks to his experience in battle, Heinrich didn't freeze at the unexpected situation but instead jumped back. He quickly inspected his sword: roughly a quarter of the length had been lost, reduced to mere fragments on the ground.

The dragonkin zombie approached. Heinrich turned and fled as fast as safely possible. Even if his sword could technically still be used as a weapon, the sudden change in its shape and balance meant that he couldn't use it effectively, not without considerable practice. Retreating was his only option.

 _I can't handle her on my own,_ Heinrich thought. _I need to meet back up with Mary. I hope she's won her fight already…_

Heinrich ran through the corridors and rooms of the fort. Whenever the dragonkin zombie closed in, Heinrich pushed her back with the wind, doing everything he could to slow her down.

Finally, Heinrich reached the first room of the fort. To his relief, the necromancers and zombies had all been defeated while Mary was standing and apparently unharmed. When the dragonkin zombie arrived after Heinrich, Mary hit her with a spell that froze her into a block of ice. The ice shattered after a few seconds, along with its contents.

Mary walked up to Heinrich and pulled him into a tight, almost bone-breaking hug.

"Thank the Founder you're safe," Mary said, shaking slightly.

"I'm – I'm fine," Heinrich said, "but the sword you gave me, it's – "

The two of them separated and Heinrich held up the broken sword. Mary took the sword and examined it carefully.

"It's just as I though… come take a look at this," Mary said.

Heinrich looked at where Mary was gesturing. A dead zombie, one made from the corpse of a beast monster, wearing much better armour than any of the others. On closer inspection, Heinrich realised that the armour gave off the same strange atmosphere as the dragonkin zombie's sword.

"This armour was capable of withstanding my attacks, though I was able to pierce through an eyehole with one claw," Mary explained. "Normal steel armour wouldn't be able to do that. Then there's the sword I gave you: it's made from orichalcum, a rare metal found only in active volcanoes. It far surpasses common steel or even other rare metals like mithril. It shouldn't break on hitting most things. There are only two materials in existence that are above orichalcum. One of them is rainbow, a substance that only elves know how to work, and the material of this sword and armour can't be rainbow since, well, it doesn't look anything like it. The other one is even rarer: meteoric metal. You know what meteors are, right?"

"Yeah, they're those streaks of light that sometimes appear in the sky," Heinrich said.

"Well, meteors are actually pieces of rock that fall from the sky, burning up in the process," Mary said. "No one knows where they come from, but that's not important right now. The important thing is that sometimes a meteor makes it to the ground. When that happens, a metal can be extracted from it that is unlike any found on this world. Nobody alive knows how to work it, but some people did hundreds of years ago. A few artefacts – swords, spears, stray pieces of armour – are left over from that time, stored in the Monster Lord's Castle, and they outperform everything else. Look – " Mary picked up the sword from the dragonkin zombie's remains. "It's completely intact, even after being through enough cold to freeze and shatter something as tough as a dragonkin."

Heinrich touched the sword gingerly. With the necromancers dead, the magical jamming had stopped and he could now sense the flow of the wind again. And, even though the sword was an inanimate object, the wind around it seemed strange – it was like the air itself refused to come into contact with the weapon.

"This sword and armour must be relics of the Great Monster Wars," Mary said. "A set of equipment this complete – it must be worth as much as a castle. No, several castles."

Heinrich gulped and pulled away from the sword. Even if it was an entirely unfounded fear, he didn't want to damage such priceless artefacts.

Proving that the universe had a sense of irony, Mary held out the sword to Heinrich. "Here, I think you should take this," she said.

"What!? No!" Heinrich replied. "Something like this should – "

"Which one of us uses a sword, again?" Mary said. "And the armour, too, that would be more helpful for you than me."

Mary bent down and removed the armour from the dead beast zombie.

"Look, it wouldn't even fit me," Mary said, holding up the armour. "Armour like this can only fit people with a particular shape and size – I'm guessing that's why the necromancers didn't have the dragonkin wear it, as much as they would have liked to. But it looks to be just the right size for you!"

Unable to refute these arguments, Heinrich put on the armour – which did in fact fit him perfectly – and took the sword. To Heinrich's embarrassment, Mary described the result as just like one of the heroes from the legends. So did Sylph, when she popped out of Heinrich's head to take a look. However, the heat of the desert forced Heinrich to take off the armour and put it into Mary's cabinet, along with the old broken sword. The new sword went in a scabbard, also retrieved from the dragonkin zombie's remains, which Heinrich attached to a strap on his back.

After disposing of all of the bodies, the two of them explored the fort thoroughly.

There was a laboratory containing vials of unknown liquids and grotesque abominations that had been stitched together out of human and monster body parts. Fortunately, none of the latter were moving. They seemed to be failed experiments.

Then there was a room where corpses were stored – this one was cleared and disinfected with copious amounts of fire. Even so, Heinrich doubted that the stench of death would ever leave the stones.

Then there was a small room containing the necromancers' records of their forbidden studies. Heinrich picked up one book and was absolutely disgusted. It wasn't just the content but the way in which it was presented, as though the writer was describing the day's weather. He snapped the book shut.

Mary looked at the books carefully, then said, "I've decided. I'm going to take these with me."

"Why?" Heinrich asked. "Just how – just how do you think this kind of research can be used?"

"I don't know right now," Mary admitted. "However, if there's one thing I learned from Akame – you remember her, right? – it's that even seemingly useless knowledge can end up being, well, useful. Even if it was gathered by evil methods, knowledge itself isn't evil, it depends on what you use it for. And if we do end up in a situation where this kind of knowledge is needed, it's better that we have it already rather than having to – rediscover it."

Heinrich conceded this point, and Mary took as many of the books as possible.

The two of them left the fort and headed north. Their next destination was the desert town of Safar, home to the earth spirit Gnome. Heinrich would attempt to form a contract with her as he had with Sylph. Then they would continue north into the Gold region.

-ooo-

Sagua was a small village in the middle of the Safina region. "Small" was really the best word to describe it, for the village had just under three hundred inhabitants among its sixty or so buildings. The only people who would normally visit were adventurers, travelling merchants and the occasional desert monster. Even the average inhabitant of Safina didn't remember it existed. Today, this village was thrown into turmoil by a most unusual visitor.

She was a woman with long brown hair and an appearance that could only be described as "angelic". From her face to her voice and even to the way she moved, every aspect of her drew the attention of every person to meet her. Many of the young men wanted to talk to her, but were intimidated by her incredible, almost inhuman beauty. Many of the young women were jealous of her as a result – though a few had the same kinds of feelings as the men.

But one person, a seasoned adventurer, had a different reaction. He had experienced many hazards in his life, including encounters with powerful monsters, and consequently had developed a keen sense of danger. That sense told him that the mysterious woman was by far the greatest threat he'd ever encountered. The night after she arrived, this adventurer packed up and left.

-ooo-

Lucifina sighed. She was sitting in the shade of a small desert shrub and munching on a piece of bread that she'd bought from one of the villagers. Angels didn't normally need the food of mortals, but Lucifina was currently in a human body and hence subject to its needs. This was thanks to a special ring she was wearing that sealed her angelic power. She'd made it in order to better blend in on the surface world.

 _I thought that I'd be able to amuse myself on this mission, but the surface world is much more boring than I remember,_ Lucifina thought. _Lately, the only interesting part was dropping those trinkets near the necromancers in a way that wouldn't make them suspicious. Everything else has just been boring. Did the world really change this much in just a few centuries? Or is it just because I'm no longer allowed to do what I like?_

Lucifina looked at a nearby group of human men, who were furtively shooting glances at her. _I wonder what kinds of sounds they would make if I started chopping them up? Hmm, they seem to be thinking with something other than their brains right now, so maybe I should start with that? How would they react if I cut it off –_

Sadly, it seemed that Lucifina would not be able to have fun today. She turned and spotted a certain blonde annoyance walking up to her. Along the way, one of the village children accidentally bumped into her while playing around. If that had happened to Lucifina, she would have forced a smile while suppressing her desire to give the child some corporal punishment that would probably turn into capital punishment. But since it was that annoyance, she actually put on a genuine smile, crouched down and told the child to be more careful next time. After that vomit-inducing event was over, the annoyance walked up to Lucifina.

"It's been some time since we last met," Micaela said. She added telepathically, _What progress have you made in your mission?_

"And I'd prefer that time to have been even longer," Lucifina replied. _I've done as instructed, I delivered the sword and armour to the target and confirmed that they don't suspect my involvement. But what I'd like to know is why the hell I was given this kind of task in the first place. Why would Ilias want to make the stud of the future Monster Lord stronger?_

"There's no need to be sarcastic," Micaela said, sitting down beside Lucifina. _It is not our place to question Goddess Ilias' commands. Now, would you mind telling me what else has transpired recently?_

Lucifina explained everything else that had happened around the two targets of her mission. She had been tailing them ever since the beginning, never revealing herself except for that one time in San Ilia. She had the skill to hide from all of their methods of detection, even the wind spirit's power. Granted, she had developed that skill to sneak up on people and stab them so she could see their shocked expressions as they died, but it was useful nevertheless.

And while she was explaining these things, Lucifina thought about the reason for her being chosen for this mission. True, she did have the skills for it, but her personality was another thing entirely, as the San Ilia incident showed. There was a reason that most other angels feared her, with a few exceptions like that pleasant youngster Ranael. The odds of her revealing her presence by killing one too many people were, to be blunt, far from zero. And on top of that, Micaela also had the skills for this sort of mission and she was, unlike Lucifina, actually dedicated to the old hag.

Why, then, had Lucifina been chosen instead of her sister? The reason was that Micaela's personality was unsuitable for the mission, in the exact opposite way as Lucifina. As the recent vomit-inducing incident showed, Micaela actually cared for the short-lived humans – it was something that set her apart from most angels, and was one of the many reasons she and Lucifina didn't get along. In the past war, she had strived to preserve as many human lives as possible – justifying it by saying that humans were Ilias' beloved creations – even if it meant sparing monsters, as it sometimes did. That was the reason why she could not be trusted with this mission, which had a human as a principal target. Ilias hadn't said anything about harming that human yet, but considering his relationship to that future Monster Lord, it was only a matter of time.

 _Really, sister, if you want to protect humans so much, why do you still follow that old hag?_ Lucifina wondered, keeping this thought to herself. _She's the one responsible for more human deaths than any other. Even if the humans were still under the control of the dark hag and her six spawn, that would still be better than Ilias' plan for them. A slave with a chance of rising up is better than a slave who doesn't even recognise themselves as one._

Once the explanation was over, Micaela stood up. _Thank you for the information,_ she said. _Keep doing your duty, and do not grow complacent._

Micaela left. The young men from before had now started following her. Lucifina rolled her eyes and finished off her meal.

 _I suppose I'd better get back to following them,_ Lucifina thought. _No matter what, it'll be more interesting than being around other angels – they're never interested in anything other than sex and kissing Ilias' ass. Well, except for that one who was interested in books, but Ilias got rid of her – just like she did to everything else that's remotely interesting in Heaven. Speaking of which, I wonder when those two are finally going to fuck each other already! The tentacle brat's been getting more desperate by the day, yet that blue-haired idiot doesn't even seem to notice! Is he one of those idiots you hear about in stories, the ones who get surrounded by women and never do any of them?_

Lucifina lay down on the sand. She didn't mind the gritty feeling – if anything, it was much better than the stupidly soft clouds that made up the "ground" of Heaven.

 _Come to think of it, just what does she see in him? Or the other one? Someone who looks as childish as him shouldn't be_ that _attractive. I don't exactly have much of a libido, but_ I _would definitely never be with anyone who looks like that._


	19. Chapter 18: Progress

As they were approaching Safar, Heinrich decided to ask Mary something he wasn't quite sure about.

"I've seen you transform parts of your body into monster parts, and I've also seen your true form, but – how should I put this?" Heinrich said. "Your true form is like a lamia with scylla tentacles, but you can also change parts of yourself into other – erm – sorry, do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

"I do, no need to worry about that," Mary said. "First of all, me and my family have the essence of all types of monsters in our bodies. We all look like combinations of several types of monsters, though each of us looks different: my sister is more like an insect while my mother is more like a harpy. But no matter what we normally look like, we can take on the traits of any monster race."

Mary held out her hands, which grew claws and a covering of purple fur. At the same time, two triangular ears popped up on her head and a tufted tail appeared from under her dress. She spent several seconds showing off these bestial traits, then reverted them and transformed her lower body into a lamia's snake tail. After that was the smooth and slimy lower half of a slug, the myriad tentacles of a scylla, and the leaves and flowers of a plant monster. Finally, she changed back to her usual human appearance.

"It takes a lot of practice to change into a new form, though," Mary continued. "Think of how long it takes for a baby to learn to walk. That's why I still can't change into, say, a vampire yet."

Heinrich took a few seconds to digest this information, then said, "So what about other monsters? I know that some of them can also change their form, but how common is it?"

"It's not that common," Mary said. "Most can only change into a human appearance and back again, and it takes a lot of magical skill to do so. Although – it's not the same thing, but it is possible for any monster to change into a more advanced race."

"What do you mean?" Heinrich asked.

"It might sound weird by human standards, but basically it's possible for a monster to grow up into a more powerful form," Mary said. "Like a tadpole grows legs and becomes a frog that can move on land, or a caterpillar grows wings and becomes a butterfly that can – well, fly. It depends on the monster's own desires and experiences, so, for example, a beast that wanted to become stronger and often fought in a way that involved lots of strength would become a strong kind of beast, while if she wanted to be faster she would become a fast beast. The change can be quite drastic, too, and it can even happen multiple times in a monster's life."

 _Fairies can do it too!_ Sylph chimed in. _Fairies who like to play with the wind like me can level up into Wind Sprites, while those who like being all strong and sturdy like the earth can become Earth Sprites! And if a fairy wants to be all dark and evil then – hey, we're here!_

Heinrich looked up to see the shapes of buildings in the distance. After another minute or so of walking, he could make out the details.

The town looked like a work of art, in a different way to the immense garden that was Sabasa. The buildings and streets were decorated with innumerable statues, made of bronze and various kinds of stone, modelled after humans, monsters, animals and countless other subjects, ranging in size from smaller than a human to several times larger, and painted in more colours than a rainbow. Some were so lifelike that it was hard to distinguish them from the people nearby, while others diverged from their subject in a manner that had to be deliberate. An example of the latter was a statue of an insect the size of a dog with the head of a man. All in all, it presented a marvellous picture even to Heinrich's inexperienced eyes.

The two of them entered the town and walked slowly through the streets. The locals didn't pay much attention to them and it was easy to see why: there were many other travellers in the town, some from as far as the Noah region judging from their clothing. It was only natural that a place like this would attract many visitors.

While the two of them discussed where they should go first, there was a sudden commotion in the crowd. Heinrich sensed a distortion in the wind, one that indicated something was approaching. Something that was… the size of a little girl?

Heinrich was confused when it finally emerged from the crowd. The newcomer had the approximate shape and size of a girl that was four or five years of age, but was clearly not human nor any kind of monster that Heinrich knew. It was brown in colour and had a slightly coarse surface – on closer inspection, Heinrich realised that it was made out of mud. Its eyes were large and empty, revealing a hollow head, and its joints were exposed. Overall, it seemed to be a puppet, like the ones used in shows in the major cities, but Heinrich had never heard of any puppet made from mud or with the ability to move on its own.

The mud puppet approached Heinrich and looked up at him. He was slightly unnerved at seeing something that was so lifelike yet clearly artificial.

 _Ooh! Ooh! Gnomey! She's found us!_ Sylph cried out.

 _What are you talking about?_ Heinrich asked. _Are you saying this is –_

 _No, it's not Gnomey herself, silly, it's one of her mud dolls,_ Sylph said. _She likes to make them to play with. It's definitely her, only she can control the earth from this far away, she must have sensed my wind, hurry up, let's go to her!_

 _Alright, be patient!_ Heinrich replied.

Heinrich relayed this information to Mary and the two of them followed the strange mud doll. The crowd parted before them and looked at them as though they were royalty – granted, that was half-true. It was quite uncomfortable for the commoner Heinrich, even if it made the journey easier.

After about five minutes, they arrived at a temple in the centre of the town. The temple wasn't particularly large, but it still stood out from the surrounding buildings. It wasn't constructed from numerous stones fitted together, like other temples Heinrich had seen, but instead was one homogeneous mass of stone. This appearance was emphasised by the lack of any statues around the temple. There were several mud dolls, identical to the one that had guided them here, who were cleaning and otherwise tending to the building. A group of worshippers, humans and monsters, stood in front of the temple but readily gave way when the mud doll approached with Heinrich and Mary in tow. The three of them entered the temple.

The interior of the temple was almost as simple as the outside. There was a pool of water in the centre, half a dozen flowerpots arranged around this pool, and glowing crystals on the walls for illumination, but no other fixtures. Several more mud dolls stood against the walls, while next to the pool was a girl.

The girl wasn't much bigger than any of the mud dolls. She had light brown skin, dark hair that reached her waist, green eyes, and pointed ears. She wore a green and brown dress with gold trim and a high collar that obscured her mouth and chin. On top of her head was a strange hat like that of a jester's, with two "horns" that ended in bells.

As soon as Heinrich laid eyes on this girl, Sylph popped out of his head and zoomed towards her, shouting, "Gnomey, it's been so long – "

Gnome raised her hand and slapped Sylph down to the floor.

Heinrich froze. So did Mary. Sylph, on the other hand, jumped back up and continued, "Hey, what's that for? Is that how you greet a friend you haven't seen for decades?"

"You… are not my friend," Gnome said, in a slow and quiet voice. "You are just an annoyance."

"Hey, there's no way we're not friends!" Sylph protested. "Remember that time when – gah!?"

One of the mud dolls came over and picked Sylph up, covered her mouth with its hand and carried her over to the wall. Then Gnome turned towards Heinrich.

"Sorry… for that," Gnome said, holding out a hand. "I'm the spirit of earth, Gnome."

"I'm Heinrich," Heinrich said, taking Gnome's hand and shaking it carefully. "Thank you for welcoming us here. As you've figured out, I'm the current contractor of Sylph."

Gnome turned towards Mary and tilted her head. "You are… not what you look like," she said. "You look human, but the way you shake the earth when you walk… is different."

"That would be because I'm the daughter of the current Monster Lord, Alipheese Fateburn the Seventh," Mary said. "My name is Mary Fateburn. I'm currently accompanying Heinrich on a journey around the world."

"I see," Gnome said. She looked intently at Mary. "Are you… alright? You seem stressed, your heart sounds unusual."

"I'm fine, there's nothing to worry about!" Mary answered quickly.

Heinrich shot a concerned glance at Mary. She had seemed worried about something for a while now, ever since the day they had wiped out that necromancer group. He decided to talk to her later.

Gnome looked at Heinrich again and asked, "Are you here to form a contract with me as well?"

"Yes, that's right," Heinrich said.

"Are you… sure?" Gnome asked. "Few people ever had the power of multiple spirits at once. And earth is… the opposite of wind, it needs a different mindset. If you aren't careful with it, you could be crushed by this power. It… might be better for you, to focus on the power you already have."

This was something that Heinrich had been thinking about as well. The power of the wind had served him well, and it would only become more useful as he gained more experience with it. However, not all attacks could be avoided with speed alone, and the wind didn't do much to protect him from attacks that did hit. Some opponents would be too durable for him to do any real damage to them, as the Sandworm Girl had shown, and he couldn't always count on Mary to handle the offensive role. The power of the earth would solve both of these problems.

"I'm sure," Heinrich confirmed.

Gnome was silent for a few seconds. She also remained completely, inhumanly still during this time, to the point that some might mistake her for a realistic doll. Then she nodded and said, "Okay. But first I need to test you… make sure that you can handle the earth."

Sylph burst out of her restraints and threw her hands in the air with glee, shouting, "Yay! Now we get to be together again, just like – mmph!"

After Sylph was restrained by the mud doll again, Gnome continued, "This test has two parts. The second is what you already did with Sylph… a fight using the power of my element. The first one is to stand still for six hours. You can't move your arms or legs, the only movement you can make is for blinking and breathing. Nothing else."

The second test was expected, considering how much monsters liked to prove themselves through combat, but the first was going to be much harder than it sounded. He remembered one time he had worked as a shop assistant, a job that had involved standing for hours on end, and he felt like cutting his feet off afterwards to get rid of the pain. And he was allowed to walk around and occasionally sit back then. This test wouldn't even allow him that luxury.

Heinrich gave his approval, then Gnome led him and Mary outside the building – Sylph was almost left behind at first, but after she struggled and protested, Gnome grudgingly had a mud doll bring her along. Without raising her voice, Gnome announced what was going on to the crowd outside, who remained silent so that they could hear her. Then Gnome led them to a large open space under the shade of an awning.

Gnome repeated the rules of the first test: Heinrich needed to stand in the centre of the space and avoid making any movements aside from the bare essentials of blinking and breathing. His eyes also needed to be kept open except for said blinking. He could prepare as much as he needed and could start whenever he was comfortable. Gnome would stand at the side and act as his judge. He could repeat the test no matter how many times he failed – and, Gnome warned, it would definitely take him many attempts.

After first taking a long drink of water – it was a hot day, even if shade was provided – Heinrich moved to the centre and began the test. A crowd had gathered to watch, though they kept a respectable distance because of Gnome's presence. Gnome and Mary were at the side, the latter giving Heinrich a look of encouragement.

Heinrich tried to ignore the gazes and murmurs of the crowd and clear his mind. It was easier said than done, which was probably why it didn't take long for the fingers of his right hand to twitch.

"Stop," Gnome said, quietly yet firmly. "You moved. That was thirty one seconds. Do you want to try again?"

Someone in the crowd snickered, but they stopped the moment that Gnome looked in their direction. Even though she looked like a child and didn't show any expression on her face, Gnome was still intimidating to the point that even Heinrich shuddered slightly.

After taking a deep breath, Heinrich announced that he was ready and started again. This time he focused to a greater extent on his own body – the flow of his blood, the beating of his heart, the involuntary twitching of his muscles – in order to control his movements as much as possible. It was similar to when he was training to use magic enhancement back in Yamatai Village.

Of course, his second attempt didn't last that long either. Heinrich eventually couldn't help but shift his feet, causing Gnome to call out, "Stop. Five minutes, twenty eight seconds. Again?"

"Again," Heinrich replied.

-ooo-

"Stop. Two hours, fifteen minutes, forty seconds. Again?"

Heinrich quickly sat down, breathing heavily. His entire body was screaming in agony at being forced to remain still for so long. It would have been less strenuous for him to climb a cliff for the same period of time.

"I'll – I'll take a break for now," Heinrich said.

Mary approached and helped Heinrich to the side, where she gave him some simple refreshments: biscuits and a kind of local juice squeezed from cacti.

"All right, you're making great progress!" Mary said. "At this rate, you should definitely be done by the end of the week!"

Today was the fourth day they had spent in Safar. Heinrich had spent eight hours each day trying and failing to get past Gnome's first test. He would have spent even more time if it was up to him, but Gnome firmly refused, telling him that he must spend the rest of the day resting. People still came to watch him, but there were far fewer since the novelty had worn off.

While he walked around slowly, stretching his muscles, Heinrich thought about the last time he had undergone a spirit's tests. Sylph's tests had been so much simpler, for a reason that was obvious yet also would be rude to say out loud.

 _Come to think of it, I've gone a long way with using Sylph's power, haven't I? A couple days before we came here, I even figured out how to fly! Sure, I'm still really clumsy at it, and there was a lot of crashing into sand dunes involved, but still, I can fly!_

 _That's the spirit!_ Sylph added. _All you need is more practice and soon you'll be zooming and whizzing around like me!_

Heinrich smiled internally. Then he thought about something that had been bothering him ever since yesterday. Gnome had thoroughly explained the rules of this test, but she hadn't said anything about the purpose behind it. Even Sylph had justified her initial test by claiming it was needed to measure intelligence.

 _Could it be, she wants me to show that I'm as resilient and unmoving as the earth?_ Heinrich thought. _It makes sense, but… something still doesn't seem right_.

Heinrich spent several minutes thinking. When he came up with a plausible solution, one that fit Gnome's behaviour so far, Sylph agreed and said it was the kind of thing that Gnome would come up with. Then he looked at Gnome and said, "Alright, I think I'll take a longer break, I'll be back in an hour, is that okay?"

Gnome silently nodded. Heinrich and Mary left and explored the town for an hour, taking in the sights and buying souvenirs. They returned at the agreed time and Heinrich moved back into position.

"You… seem to be different from before," Gnome said, looking intently at Heinrich.

Heinrich nodded. "I think I've understood what this test is meant to be about," he said.

"Is that so?" Gnome said. "In that case… keep it to yourself for now."

Once more, Heinrich kept his body still. It was much easier than his first few attempts, as all the practice over the past few days had allowed him to work out the trick to it. In that sense it was similar to other physical skills like swinging a sword, despite otherwise being completely different.

Seconds, minutes, hours passed. Heinrich felt the now-familiar sensation of his joints groaning under the constant burden. He persisted. Finally, Gnome announced, "Six hours. You passed," and Heinrich collapsed forward, only to be caught by Mary. The onlookers cheered.

"Great work," Mary said.

"It looks like… I managed it even faster than you thought," Heinrich said.

Inexplicably, Mary blushed and looked away. She said, "Er, ah… can you walk yet, or do you want – want me to keep – "

Heinrich swung his limbs and twisted his body around to restore his circulation. "Thanks, but I should be fine, just need to keep moving," he said.

Gnome approached and said, "Congratulations. Now… follow me."

Without saying any more words, Gnome walked off. Heinrich and Mary hurried after her.

The earth spirit led them back to her temple. She tapped on a portion of the floor and the stone melted away, revealing a hole and a set of stairs. She led them down the stairs into a small underground chamber, one with a ceiling barely tall enough for Mary to stand.

Heinrich was confused. This chamber didn't look big enough to have a fight in. Or was that the point, to avoid attacks with barely any room to manoeuvre?

Gnome clapped her hands and said, "You've passed the test. You've shown you're worthy of the earth's power."

"Wait, what!?" Sylph exclaimed, popping into physical existence. "He hasn't done the second test yet! Did you forget about that? Have you started going – ahh!"

With a wave of Gnome's hand, an arm of stone rose up from the floor and pulled Sylph down.

"I'm sorry for… lying to you," Gnome said. "There is only one test, and you passed it."

"It's okay," Heinrich said. "I think I understand why you did it. It was to see if I was capable of knowing when to _stop_ trying, to know when I needed to rest."

"That's right," Gnome said. "Many people… they think the earth is invincible, that it will let them withstand anything. That's wrong… soil is dug up every day by farmers, and even stone is broken by miners with their pickaxes. That kind of thinking… will lead to your death. Using the elements needs understanding… that also means not overestimating what they can do."

"That makes sense, thank you," Heinrich said. "I'll bear that in mind."

"Most of those who come here… don't understand," Gnome said. "They think the fight is the important part, they try to rush through the test… because of that, they fail."

"Yippee!" Sylph shouted, breaking free. "Now I get to play with you, Gnomey – gak!"

After taking care of the interruption, Gnome pointed her finger at Heinrich. Suddenly, Heinrich felt his body grow much heavier, as though lead had been injected into his veins. However, he was ready for something like this and was able to stay standing.

"This is the power of the earth," Gnome said. "First… you need to restrain it if you want to move properly. Listen carefully…"

Following Gnome's instructions, Heinrich restrained the overflowing power of the earth so that it no longer weighed him down. It didn't take him long, as the process was rather like the test he'd just completed.

"With practice, you'll be able to use the earth properly," Gnome said. "You'll be able to make yourself stronger and tougher, to sense vibrations through the earth, and to shape the earth itself. Now… let's go."

"Umm… shouldn't you let go of Sylph first?" Heinrich said.

Gnome was silent for a few seconds, but she eventually released Sylph from her earthen restraints.

"Okay, Gnomey, I know I can be a bit of a pain sometimes," Sylph said. "Still, I know that you're happy to see me again!"

"…Let's go," Gnome said again.

After Sylph returned to Heinrich's head, the odd group of human, future Monster Lord, and two spirits walked up the stairs, the entrance to the chamber sealing itself behind them. They exited the temple and Gnome announced to the waiting crowd that she had found a new contractor and would be accompanying him for the foreseeable future. She said that, even if she wasn't going to be physically present, the blessings of the earth would remain with each and every one of them.

They left Safar, at which point Gnome entered Heinrich's head as well, and headed north towards the Gold region.

-ooo-

As they moved further and further away from the equator, the climate became colder. Daytime was now no different in temperature from Noah in the spring, allowing the two of them to travel without taking a break, while nighttime was even more bone-chillingly freezing.

Now Heinrich trained with the earth as well as the wind. Currently, Gnome was having him sit in one place, eyes closed, and focus on the vibrations in the earth. This was quite enlightening: Heinrich had never realised just how many animals lived below the surface before. Even the seemingly barren sands of the desert were teeming with small rodents, lizards and insects.

 _And if there's so many in a place like this, what about a more fertile place like a meadow?_ Heinrich thought. _I might end up watching my every step to avoid trampling something – hm?_

 _Heinrich,_ Gnome said. _It took me time to realise… but I figured out what was wrong with Mary._

 _Eh!?_ Sylph interjected. _Hey, even I haven't figured that out!_

 _You must have sensed this before… in the wind,_ Gnome said. _When people who are intimate with each other, you should have… or did you avoid sensing such situations?_

 _I don't get it, what are you… wait, you don't mean!?_ Sylph said, shock creeping into her voice.

 _Just what exactly are you two talking about?_ Heinrich asked.

Suddenly, Gnome popped out of Heinrich's head. She turned towards Mary, who was currently sitting by the fire digesting dinner, and said, "Mary, do you wish to mate with Heinrich?"

Mary leapt to her feet. "W –W – What!?" she cried out, in a much higher-pitched voice than usual. "There's – there's no way – I mean – no, I – oh, is that a joke, Gnome. I didn't know you made jokes! – Ha, haha, ha…"

Sylph popped out as well. "So Gnomey was right after all!" she said. "So that's what that strange emotion I was getting from you was – I never really paid attention to that sort of thing!"

"No, that's wrong, you're both wrong!" Mary insisted. "I was just – just feeling homesick, that's all!"

"No, I'm certain of this," Gnome said. "I've listened to the hearts of homesick people… yours isn't like that, it's like – " she suddenly reached out and grabbed Sylph, silencing the smaller spirit, " – no, on second thought… the two of us will get out of the way, we'll leave you to talk about it on your own. We won't try listening in."

Sylph squeezed out of Gnome's grip just long enough to say, "But we do hope that you make the right choice – mmph!"

Gnome began walking away, Sylph still firmly in her grasp. At the top of a dune, she turned and gave the two of them a wordless thumbs-up. Then she moved out of sight.

Now that they were alone, Heinrich turned towards Mary, his limbs shaking with nervousness. This was a topic he'd thought about before, but no amount of thinking could prepare him for the real thing. He slowly raised his eyes to meet Mary's, only for him and his partner to quickly look away. The two of them were silent for a few moments.

"Um… er… so, Mary," Heinrich began. "You… are you really… do you really want to do… that?"

Wrapping her arms around herself, Mary carefully avoided meeting Heinrich's gaze. "I… well, you could say that… that…" she pulled her hat down so that it covered her face, "that's right."

Mary's last words were quieter than most whispers, but the current situation gave Heinrich the hearing of a Bat Girl. He gulped and considered his next words carefully.

"Well, the truth is – that for a long time now – in fact, it started soon after we first met – I – " Heinrich said, closing his eyes and clenching his fists. "I've had the same kind of feelings."

The secret was out now. Heinrich kept his eyes closed, prepared for anything to happen.

Suddenly, Heinrich was pushed onto his back and pinned down by a great weight. He opened his eyes and realised that Mary was sitting on top of his body. Furthermore, she was looking down at him with an expression that looked vaguely like hunger, but was _definitely_ something else.

"Do you – do you really mean that?" Mary asked.

"I – I do," Heinrich said. "I always kept it to myself, because – because I was raised to think that doing that sort of thing before marriage was a sin. But now I – I think differently."

"And when I was growing up, everyone was doing that kind of thing all over the place," Mary muttered. "Are you _really_ sure about this?"

"I am," Heinrich said. The only potential problem was the issue of conceiving a child, which was unlikely to happen in this case. All the way back in Yamatai, Tamamo had mentioned the rather extreme lengths that Monster Lords needed to go to in order to conceive. She'd passed it off as an embarrassing bit of trivia at the time, but considering how things turned out…

Mary was silent for a while. Tentacles in all shapes and sizes began to emerge from under her dress, wrapping around Heinrich's limbs. He had absolutely no hope of escaping from her grasp… not that he had any desire to.

"Um, this is my first time, so… it might be a little awkward…"

-ooo-

A couple of dunes away, two spirits were celebrating.

"Yippee! At this rate, the wedding will come in no time!"

"That… might be a bit too fast. But… it is a good thing."

"Ooh, ooh, do you think they'd make me the flower girl? They should! I'd be the best damn flower girl in the world– ouchie!"

"Quiet… don't disturb them."

-ooo-

Even further away, a certain sadistic war criminal rolled her eyes and said, "It's about damn time."

* * *

 **AN:** **Because titles with multiple meanings are the best.**

 **To answer the inevitable question: yes, Gnome is talking here. It's not even the biggest change to a character in this story, considering that one of the main premises is Heroic!Black Alice. The reason for her talking – or rather, the reason why she doesn't talk 500 years later – will be given eventually.** **  
**

 **This chapter concludes the Safina arc. Next stop is the Gold region, and after that...**


	20. Chapter 19: Succubus Village

It was the middle of January when they reached the Gold region. The chill of winter was very much apparent now, with a light frost coating the ground in the morning and most animals hibernating in burrows. The landscape was different, with more hills and more trees and bushes, though the vegetation was still much less sparse than the forests that Heinrich experienced growing up.

Heinrich had advanced considerably in his skill with the wind and the earth, especially the latter. It had taken him less than two weeks before he could channel the earth to a level that was usable in combat. It required him to think of the earth as a living, breathing entity – which was easier than it sounded, due to all of the living organisms Heinrich could sense within the earth – and allow its breath to permeate his body. The power of the earth made Heinrich much more durable, to the point that tree branches could be broken over his head and he would barely feel anything, and this also included resistance to extreme temperatures, to the point that he felt comfortable in this weather despite only a wearing a single coat over his usual outfit. There were two downsides to the power of the earth, though. First, it required him to maintain contact with the actual earth – if he jumped or was held above the ground, the power would fade. Second, he couldn't use it at the same time as Sylph's wind, since they required different mindsets. Both of these issues could apparently be solved with enough practice.

The sun set and the two of them stopped to set up camp. Sylph and Gnome also materialised so that there were four of them sitting around the welcoming warmth of the campfire. This was a habit that these two had gotten into recently – as spirits, they didn't have any of the needs of most living things, being nourished by the energy of their respective elements, but that didn't mean they couldn't enjoy the taste of good food. Heinrich could still use their power when they were materialised, albeit at less than half the usual power.

After dinner and spirit training, Heinrich returned to his usual hobby of woodcarving. Unlike his first few attempts, in which he tried carving all kinds of shapes to practice his skills, now he was only focusing on one particular shape. It was still quite difficult, though. The local wood was hard and difficult to carve, and on top of that he wasn't sure of the finer details of his goal. He wanted to try adding some sort of inscription that would help the object stand out from any others, but the small size gave him little room to work with. Still, he persevered. This task was necessary, considering everything they had gone through together.

Heinrich blushed when this thought entered his mind. Ever since they had done… _that_ , they had been doing it again almost every night. As a result, Heinrich had learned many things about his and Mary's… preferences.

 _You can't let your – libido – control you!_ Heinrich thought, trying to return to his task. _Concentrate!_

Unfortunately, Heinrich's hands were now shaking far too much to continue with work as delicate as woodcarving. He sighed, put away his tools and stood up to take a brief walk.

During said walk, however, Heinrich noticed something unusual. He felt a disturbance in the wind some distance away, similar to two large birds landing on the ground – though they would have to be bats or owls at this time of night. But it was so cold and windy that even these nocturnal fliers wouldn't normally be in the air.

Heinrich decided to turn back to consult the others, only to realise that they had also noticed and were approaching him, Mary having resumed her disguise. They talked briefly, then Sylph and Gnome re-entered Heinrich and they all approached the source of the disturbance. As they got closer, they could hear voices.

"This is your fault, if you hadn't said to take a left turn back then, we wouldn't be – "

"I – I mixed up the directions, okay? Besides, you were the one who wanted to fly even at night, if it wasn't for that, we wouldn't have gotten lost in the first place!"

"Well, I – we would have taken twice as long if it wasn't for that! If you had gotten the directions right – "

"No, you – "

Mary stopped and frowned. "Wait, I recognise them!"

They rushed forward, Mary in the lead, and climbed over a hill to find the source of the voices.

Two succubi were arguing with each other. They had waist-length blonde hair tied into twintails, dark brown skin, deep blue eyes and the usual tails and wings of succubi. However, unlike other succubi Heinrich had seen, they had a pair of smaller wings on their heads instead of horns. Cross-shaped tattoos marked their cheeks and the top part of their chests. They wore black and white outfits that resembled those worn by maids, but with almost all of the fabric missing… suffice to say, they would face considerable trouble if they tried to enter any human settlements. One was tall and slim, the other slender and more voluptuous.

When she saw them, Mary gasped, "So it is you two…" and rushed forward, dropping her disguise. Tentacles burst out from under her dress and she used these to pull the two succubi into an odd sort of hug.

"Huh, what the – MARY!? What are you doing here!?" cried the taller succubus.

"Weren't you supposed to be on Hellgondo!?" asked the shorter succubus.

Heinrich hung back, both to give Mary space and because he wasn't sure of how to handle this strange sight.

-ooo-

"Okay, but did you really have to keep it a secret?"

"Even from us?"

"I would have told you if it was up to me, but you know what my mother is like…"

Lilith and Lilim had now joined them at their camp. The two succubi – incidentally, Lilith was the taller one and Lilim was the shorter one – were currently catching up on everything that had happened since Mary had gone out on this journey. They also explained what they were doing in a remote place like this – they had left Hellgondo with the intention of visiting Succubus Village, only to get blown off course by a freak storm. Considering that Succubus Village was literally on the other side of the country from here, it was nothing short of a miracle that the two succubi had landed near them.

Eventually, Lilim turned to Heinrich and looked at him closely, then said, "So _you're_ the one who finally broke through Mary's shell… hm, pretty cute!"

As Heinrich blushed, Lilith added, "Yeah, definitely! I always wondered what kind of guy was your type, and you've made a great choice! Guys like these are always so fun to play with – "

"Sh – Shut up!" Mary said. "Did you come here just to make fun of me!?"

"No, we're happy for you," Lilith said, laughing. "Although… since you finally developed an interest in sex…"

"…Why don't we show you and Heinrich how to _really_ have fun?" Lilim finished.

Heinrich trembled. This wasn't the first time that he'd been propositioned by a monster… but it was definitely the first time that something like _this_ had been suggested.

"Sorry, but we'll be rejecting that offer," Mary replied firmly. "We're not interested in – in involving others, right, Heinrich?"

"Right, sorry about that!" Heinrich said quickly.

"Are you sure?" Lilith asked, now specifically addressing Heinrich. "I know that lots of humans over here have problems with casual sex, but – huh, you really are serious."

"Dammit, and I was hoping we would get lucky tonight!" Lilim said, throwing her hands in the air in frustration. "It's been almost an entire day since we got to – "

"Anyway, you must be hungry, why don't you have some food?" Mary said, holding out some leftovers from dinner – she occasionally saved some in case she felt peckish during the night, but this habit came in handy in this situation. "Heinrich cooked it."

The two succubi took the food – the meat of a local type of rat, roasted over the fire and seasoned with spices bought in Sabasa – and tentatively took bites out of it. After chewing a few times, they began wolfing down the food.

"What the hell!? This – is better than _anything_ – we get in the castle!" Lilith exclaimed in between bites.

"No wonder you got together with him, Mary!" Lilim added.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Mary asked.

"That's, you're giving me too much credit," Heinrich said.

"No, really, this is amazing!" Lilith said. "You could easily get a job as a royal chef like this!"

Heinrich was stunned. Every sense and instinct he had told him that she wasn't lying, but he just couldn't believe that he was that skilled.

 _Hey, listen!_ Sylph interjected. _I think you really are that good, and I know why! You've been cooking for Mary ever since the start of this journey, right?_

 _Yes, that's right,_ Heinrich replied.

 _And because she eats so much, you've gotten lots of practice each night,_ Sylph said. _On top of that, you've also been travelling around the world and cooking with all kinds of different ingredients. Not many people travel as much as you have, you know! Because of all that experience, it's no wonder that you've gotten this good!_

 _Huh, I never really thought of it that way before…_

After Lilith and Lilim finished off their late dinner, they wanted to head off immediately, but Mary pointed out that they could potentially get lost again. They ended up going to sleep.

The next morning, they discussed what to do next.

The Gold region was similar to the Safina region in that it was large but sparsely populated. It was divided into three parts: western, central and eastern. They were currently in the central part, which also contained Succubus Village, the coastal town of Gold Port and the active Gold Volcano, the last of these being the home of the fire spirit Salamander. The eastern part contained the capital city of Grangold, the small town of Goddard, and the fortress of Gold Fort. The western part of Gold was almost uninhabited, with only a few ruins and a tiny population of monsters.

Their first stop would be Succubus Village where Lilith and Lilim would stay behind – the succubus twins had wanted to accompany Heinrich and Mary, but as Queen Succubi they had administrative duties there that they couldn't avoid. Then they would go to Grangold, since they were likely to find information on interesting places in the region here. Depending on what they heard in Grangold, they would go to Gold Volcano first, then to the other places.

After that was settled, then there was the question of how they would be travelling to Succubus Village. Lilith and Lilim had already encountered one unexpected delay and, between that and their disdain for walking long distances, they refused to use any method but flying. But Mary couldn't just fly alongside them as she still needed to keep her identity secret. And although Heinrich had improved his skill at flying with the wind, he still wasn't at the level of being able to fly long distances – not to mention that a human flying would attract considerable attention.

This was solved by having Mary disguise herself as a succubus and carry Heinrich, since three succubi flying through the sky while carrying one man with them wasn't an uncommon sight around these parts (that is, succubi and other flying monsters often carried around their mates to show them what flying felt like, not because they were trying to kidnap them). Lilith and Lilim gave Mary tips on this, since succubi were masters of disguise. It helped that Mary was already used to flying with bat-like wings, so she basically just needed to add horns and a tail to that. With their advice, Mary also changed the features of her face slightly to better ensure that she wouldn't be recognised. Once all the preparations were done, they took off and began flying north.

Travelling in this way was easily over a dozen times faster than walking. There was only one small problem, which was that Mary had also changed her clothing to suit her current appearance – and succubi were very much on the revealing side of the spectrum when it came to clothing. So when she held Heinrich, there was very little fabric in between him and her skin. Heinrich therefore spent the entire journey trying to keep his mind clear.

-ooo-

They touched down near Succubus Village at around noon. It comprised just over a hundred buildings, simple constructions of wooden planks, and none were taller than a single storey. A small river, in which villagers were washing their laundry, flowed through the middle of the town,.

But apart from the above points, this was clearly not a human village. First of all, there was a sign at the entrance saying, "Succubus Village: Stay as long as you like ". Then there was the female half of the population – all of the women looked young and attractive, with skin that wasn't wrinkled or burnt by a lifetime of toiling in the sun, and abundant curves that couldn't be maintained without a steady supply of good food. Most had horns, wings, and tails, and wore clothing that was woefully inadequate for the task of protecting them from the sun or the cold wind. Finally, Heinrich could sense succubi in several of the houses engaged in the activity that their race was famous – or infamous, depending on one's perspective – for.

When the villagers saw Lilith and Lilim enter the village, they jumped at their visiting queens and pulled them into a massive group hug – not quite the same as how royalty was usually greeted, but succubi seemed to have different opinions on this matter.

Of course, since they had accompanied the two Queen Succubi into the village, Heinrich and Mary were surrounded and pestered with questions by curious succubi. Since Mary was still in her new disguise, she looked to them like a fellow succubus who had brought over a new man for them to play with. It reached the point where Mary had to raise her voice and say, "Okay, listen up! We're just passing through, we're not going to stay here, and there will be no 'sharing' or 'group bonding', alright?"

These words caused the succubi to ease up on their seduction attempts, although they gave off a heavy atmosphere of disappointment.

Lilith and Lilim went off to the mayor's house for official business, so that left Heinrich and Mary to explore the village on their own.

From what Heinrich heard, the nature of Succubus Village was… best described as complex. It was officially considered a human village that was under the domain of Grangold, even though most of the women in the village were succubi and the remainder were humans with succubus blood. This was because there were still some people in this region who would not look too kindly on a monster village. The government of Grangold, including the tax collectors and other officials who visited the village, were in on the secret. However, the village couldn't be too isolated as it would then face a shortage of men. Monsters rarely had male children and, while the small minority of human women would normally produce enough men for most monster villages, the insatiable libidos of succubi meant that they weren't satisfied with that. Therefore, members of the village would travel out, disguised as humans, to spread rumours about the true nature of Succubus Village. Most people had better things to do then travel to such a remote village and dismissed this as one of the many outlandish rumours – such as the existence of fallen angels – that people spread when they had nothing better to do. But occasionally they would come across men who were interested and who had no real attachments to their current home. They travelled to the village and, with no exceptions, chose to stay there. The food was plentiful, there were no bandits, and the nights were – Heinrich tried to block out the details of the last part, but the succubi he talked to were very enthusiastic in their descriptions.

They had lunch at the village inn. The meal consisted of potato-based dishes, seasoned with local herbs. Potatoes were apparently a local specialty, with the inn chef talking proudly about the virtues of the potato as an ingredient. However, Heinrich's enjoyment of the meal was slightly spoiled by his mastery of the wind, which allowed him to sense succubi upstairs in the middle of their own version of lunch.

After lunch, the villagers had calmed down enough that Mary was now willing to let Heinrich go around on his own. It wasn't that he was at any danger of being surrounded and drained into a husk, but she had gotten into a possessive kind of mood.

While wandering around the village, Heinrich talked to one of the succubus-blooded human women. He was interested in what her life was like.

"That's… hmm, it's not the easiest question to answer," said the woman, whose name was Amy. "Ah, but I can say this, I don't have a hard time just because I'm mostly human."

Heinrich blinked. That was actually what he was worried about, though it wasn't a major concern since he had talked with Edina before.

"Surprised?" Amy said, grinning. "That's one of the benefits of having succubus blood – you have an easier time reading people. Aside from that, it also makes me pretty decent at magic – " she raised a hand, a ball of purple light floating above it, " – not as much as a full succubus, but enough to make everyday tasks a lot easier. My reflexes are also a bit faster than the average human. And before you start thinking that I'm weaker all-round than a full succubus, that's actually not the case, especially when it comes to physical strength. Most people think that all monsters are stronger than all humans, but there's a lot of variation among them, with succubi being on the weaker end, and mixes like me don't always follow the rules. I'm actually stronger than your average succubus – but not nearly as strong as the queens, of course!"

"I never knew about that," Heinrich said. "I came from a remote village in the Noah region, so I didn't get much opportunity – well, any opportunity to see monsters until I met Alice."

"Oh, the Noah region?" Amy said. "We've never had anyone from that far away, what was it like?"

Heinrich gave a brief summary of his past, up to the point he met Mary.

"I have trouble imagining a place with so many trees… it makes me want to start travelling," Amy said. "Anyway, going back to what I was talking about before, I don't have trouble living in this village because of being mostly human – in fact, I probably wouldn't have any trouble if I was fully human. Monsters have a lot of strengths compared to humans, but also many weaknesses. The most obvious one is appetite – all that strength and speed comes at a cost, after all – and when the harvest is poor, that's a problem. Succubi have it a little easier since they aren't that strong and since they can also feed on – well, you know. Though succubi have their own weakness in that they _really_ can't go for too long without fucking someone, so they don't do too well with being alone. Although… even though I only had a succubus for a grandmother… I still get how they feel!"

Amy accompanied that last remark with a flirtatious wink. Heinrich, however, politely turned her down.

As he walked away, a thought occurred to Heinrich's mind. _I've gotten pretty good at lying, haven't I? I called Mary 'Alice' without hesitating, and none of the succubi here saw through it. …Not quite the kind of growth I had in mind at the start of the journey._

 _Perhaps, but that isn't necessarily a bad skill to learn,_ Gnome said. _One saying I learned is, 'Being a leader is half lies and half distorted truths'. Even if you don't plan on being a leader yourself… there are uses for such a skill._

Keeping this in mind, Heinrich moved on to the next villager.

-ooo-

" – and of the Six Ancestors, the one that we succubi descend from is Minagi, the Great Whore of Babylon."

Today was the third day that Heinrich had spent in Succubus Village. Right now he was sitting near a group of succubus children who were being taught a history lesson. He was interested in getting a different perspective on the history of the world, since the one he'd received growing up had been limited.

"Although Minagi wasn't just the ancestor of succubi, but also of other races such as vampires and elves. For the full list, please read Chapter Seven of your textbooks. Anyway, Minagi was known for her incomparable lust even compared to other succubi. It was said that she laid with a dozen different men each day and, during festivals and other events, over a hundred, yet still she still was never fully satisfied. However, she was also known for her dangerous recklessness in this regard – none of these men could survive more than several encounters and, if she was feeling particularly hungry, she would drain her partners dry instantly. This behaviour was not uncommon among succubi, or monsters in general, in that era…"

The succubus teacher, who managed to give off the impression of an educator despite having an appearance that would make most whores blush, looked around sternly at her students before continuing.

"It should go without saying that such behaviour is not acceptable now. To drain a man to death, or to engage in intercourse without the knowing consent of all parties involved, is against the law of the Monster Lord and against common decency. Remember that when you come of age yourselves."

The lesson ended, so Heinrich moved to an open field outside the village. A succubus was waiting for him here. Though she looked the same as any other succubus to the untrained eye, the flow of the wind around her was on an entirely different level – it was as though she was surrounded by an invisible, dynamic suit of armour. Her name was Zephyra and she was currently teaching Heinrich how to better use the wind.

As he did yesterday, Heinrich called on Sylph's power. One by one, the winds gathered around him like curious birds. Listening to their collective voice, he gradually allowed them to fill his body until he was virtually weightless. Then he gathered them around his feet, lifting him off the ground.

"That's a little faster than yesterday," Zephyra said. "Now, let's see if you can keep it up."

Zephyra took off and ascended with a speed that no bird or bat could rival. Heinrich increased the power of his wind and followed her. The succubus performed a series of aerial manoeuvres: speeding up and slowing down abruptly, flying in circles and zigzags, hurtling towards the ground and pulling up at the last possible moment. Heinrich repeated each manoeuvre, though not as smoothly and effortlessly as her.

This was the objective of this training. Zephyra couldn't simply tell Heinrich what to do – instructions would only be useful if he was still in the first stages of learning how to fly, and in any case a succubus' way of flying couldn't be taught directly to someone without the necessary wings. Instead, her goal was to teach him to think in three dimensions, by showing him all of the possible ways to move in the air. Without this change in mindset, Heinrich would never be able to draw out the full potential of the wind's power.

Unsurprisingly, flying was an extremely exhausting activity. This was alleviated to some extent by the power of the wind also improving his breathing efficiency, but Heinrich still had to land after twenty minutes of training. Panting, he took a drink.

Zephyra landed as well. "Not bad at all," she said. "I never thought I'd see the day when a human would be keeping up with me in the air. Or to meet someone contracted to one of the Great Spirits."

"I wouldn't – call that keeping up," Heinrich said.

"Even being able to pull off the same moves as me counts as 'keeping up' in my opinion," Zephyra said. "I've been playing with the wind for thirty years longer than you, after all."

They bantered for a few more minutes. Once he had caught his breath, Heinrich began the training again.

-ooo-

Night arrived, so Heinrich went out for a walk. After the sun set, the buildings were filled with succubi busy with their favourite activity. While it did make him uncomfortable, he could hardly begrudge them their way of life since it was him and Mary that were visiting them.

The land around Succubus Village was fairly flat, but there were a few hills. Heinrich decided to climb one of them, purely to break up the monotony. Every now and then, he stopped to look up at the night sky, trying to find the constellations that he recognised.

It was during this walk that Heinrich sensed something in the earth, buried not far below the surface. He didn't sense it through vibrations, such as those produced by a hibernating animal, but instead through something that he recognised as dark energy. This type of energy had a characteristic distorting effect on the surroundings, similar to the ripples created by an object hitting water. It was incredibly faint, and Heinrich would never have detected it without Gnome's power.

 _What could this be?_ Heinrich thought.

 _Hmm…_ Gnome said. _From what I can tell… it's round, about the size of your head. The energy is weak, barely enough to even move a pebble._

Heinrich crouched down near the source of the dark energy. _It's pretty close to the village,_ he thought. _Maybe someone dropped it here a long time ago, and over time it got buried?_

After some more discussion, Heinrich and the spirits decided to take a closer look at the object. First, Heinrich called on Sylph to surround himself with a barrier of wind. This barrier could deflect magic in addition to physical objects and, while it couldn't stop powerful spells, it should be enough for this situation. Then Heinrich began digging with his hands – if he wasn't using the wind he could have used the power of the earth to do the job instantly, but there was no sense in taking unnecessary risks.

Lying at the bottom of the newly formed hole was a sphere of translucent white crystal. It appeared to be filled with a colourful fog, one that glowed in an ever-shifting mixture of blue, red and purple light. Heinrich reached down and easily lifted the sphere out of the hole, revealing that it was much lighter than expected.

Suddenly, the sphere emitted an overwhelming pulse of dark energy. Heinrich's vision was consumed by a flash of enthralling purple light.

-ooo-

When the light disappeared, Heinrich saw that he was in a completely different location. A thick fog was all around him, in contrast to the clear air around Succubus Village. The surface beneath his feet was unnaturally smooth and made of an unknown material – it wasn't wood, stone or anything else that would normally be used for a floor. But Heinrich didn't have the time to worry about how he'd been transported to this strange place, because he wasn't alone.

There were three succubi, all of them incredibly powerful. The weakest of them, a blue-haired succubus standing to Heinrich's left, gave off a similar atmosphere as Lilith and Lilim. The other two, one with red hair and one with purple hair, felt even stronger… possibly even on Mary's level. In terms of appearance, the three succubi each had wings and tail the same colour as their respective hair, and their faces were similar enough for Heinrich to suspect that they were sisters. The blue-haired succubus had her hair in twin tails wrapped around her own horns, a figure that wasn't quite as exaggerated as the others, and clothing that consisted of white straps, gloves and stockings. The red-haired succubus had a similar outfit except that hers was black in colour and left her chest exposed. Finally, the purple-haired succubus wore a beige sweater that covered up a surprising amount of skin, though it was still far more revealing than anything a human might wear, and black stockings.

Heinrich quickly reviewed his situation. His barrier of wind was no longer present. However, Sylph and Gnome were still in his head, to his and their mutual relief. His sword was at his waist – even though he'd been going out for a walk, the experience of the past few months meant that he didn't feel safe without a weapon at hand. Once he was finished, Heinrich looked at the succubi and said, "Hello, nice to meet you."

"'Nice to meet you'?" the blue-haired succubus said mockingly. "What, do you think that this is some kind of – "

"Quiet, Morrigan," the purple-haired succubus said, with a trace of weariness in her voice that suggested this wasn't the first time. "You're being rude to our guest."

"S – Sorry, sis," Morrigan said meekly.

"Please excuse her behaviour," the red-haired succubus said. "She likes to… take an aggressive approach to things, and it's been a very long time since any of us have seen someone else."

"First, let's introduce ourselves," the purple-haired succubus said. "My name is Lilith, and these are my younger sisters Astaroth" – she pointed to the red-haired succubus on Heinrich's right, " – and Morrigan. Going back to what you said earlier, it's nice to meet you too."

Lilith accompanied this last statement with an enchantingly beautiful smile, one that could sway kings and topple kingdoms.

The Heinrich of eight months ago might have fallen for this. Instead, Heinrich kept his face neutral and replied, "My name is Heinrich, I'm just a traveller passing by."

"In that case, Heinrich, make yourself comfortable," Lilith said. "Sorry for all this – our current situation means that we don't have much to offer guests. Still, why don't we sit down?"

With a wave of her hand, Lilith caused four chairs to suddenly pop into existence. They all sat down, Heinrich more warily than the others.

"Where is this place?" Heinrich asked.

"It's boring as hell, that's what it is," Morrigan said. Then she wilted under the gazes of her elder sisters and added, "It's – It's where we've been sealed."

"That's right," Lilith said. "First, let me ask this: have you heard of our names?"

Heinrich certainly had, thanks to the village that he had just been staying in. The Lilith Sisters were three legendary succubi from the ancient era. Many powerful succubi had been named after them, with one of the current Queen Succubi being an example. The sisters had been created by Minagi, not through normal reproduction, but through arcane rituals that none alive remembered how to perform. They fought with distinction in the Great Monster Wars, winning many great victories and even clashing with Ilias' Seraphs on a few occasions. However, they disappeared towards the end of the war and were believed dead.

Deciding that there was no need to hide his knowledge, Heinrich replied, "I have. But everyone nowadays thinks that you're dead."

"That's understandable," Lilith said. "What actually happened was that Ilias' side considered us a threat and designed a powerful magic seal to imprison us. It wasn't as powerful as the Six Ancestors' Great Seal, used by our master and her sisters and mother, but it was enough to keep the three of us from breaking out."

"As for what this place is, it's a pocket of subspace that was created along with the seal," Astaroth added. "You could think of it as another world, just a very small one."

"I see… but how did I enter here?" Heinrich asked. "I remember digging up this strange crystal, then all of a sudden I found myself here."

"That's the core of the seal," Lilith explained. "A powerful magical artefact, made from a special crystal from the Great Sands – what you would now know as Safina. It keeps this space separate from the world – so long as it remains intact, we remain trapped here. As for how you got here, the core is designed so that it takes in any person who touches it for too long. In fact, that's how we became trapped here as well, though the story of how that happened is a bit… embarrassing to tell. But while it's easy to become trapped here, leaving is impossible – think of it like a waterfall, where it's easy to go down but the flow of water stops you from climbing back up."

It was an odd story, but considering all of the bizarre things he'd seen so far, Heinrich had no trouble believing it.

"So if the crystal is destroyed, you'd be free?" Heinrich asked.

"That's right," Lilith said. "And you'd be free as well. You wouldn't happen to be travelling with companions would you?"

Now that Heinrich had time to think about it, he wouldn't be trapped out here for long. Sooner or later Mary would figure out that he was missing and investigate. The destruction of the crystal would follow soon after. Then everything would be alright.

Everyone would be able to get along. The people of Succubus Village should have no problem with accepting their ancient kin.

And the Lilith Sisters would surely be very grateful for their freedom. They would surely reward him, in the way that only succubi could –

 _Heinrich!_

The haze filling Heinrich's mind vanished as Sylph and Gnome shouted with all of their might. Heinrich quickly put his hand to his face to conceal his expression.

 _Sylph, Gnome, thank you,_ Heinrich thought. _I – what was I –_

 _Seduction magic,_ Sylph said grimly. _One of the specialties of succubi. But this is more powerful than anything I've ever seen, it took the two of us working together to undo it._

 _Remember what you learned,_ Gnome advised. _Even if these three seem to be friendly… and one clearly isn't… they come from a much harsher time than now, a time when the strong could do whatever they wished._

 _Got it, thanks._

When Heinrich removed his hand from his face, Lilith asked, "Are you feeling alright, Heinrich?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Heinrich said. "Just – I was about to go to bed when I arrived here, so I'm feeling a little sleepy."

"Well, I hope you can stay awake for just a little while longer," Lilith said, giving another smile. "In case you've forgotten, my question was: were you travelling with anyone else, or on your own?"

 _They seem to have believed me,_ Heinrich thought. _Emphasis on "seem"._

 _There's no way they haven't noticed,_ Sylph said. _I can't read them directly – they have complete control over their own wind – but they're still trying out their seduction magics._

 _What can I do to avoid that?_ Heinrich asked.

 _Don't look at their eyes,_ Gnome replied. _Demon Eye techniques work through eye contact. Focus on their noses instead. Also, try to breathe as little as you can, to reduce the amount of pheromones you breathe in, but don't overdo it. Feeling lightheaded will only make you vulnerable._

 _But I can't keep this up forever,_ Heinrich said. _How long will it take for Mary, or anyone else, to notice I'm missing?_

 _That's… something I can't predict,_ Gnome said. _You must buy as much time as you can._

While following these tips, Heinrich tried to carry on the conversation as normally as possible, "I was travelling with one other person. She should notice I'm gone, and is careful enough that she won't simply touch the crystal."

"That's excellent news, we should all be free in no time," Lilith said. She then narrowed her eyes. "While we're waiting… why don't you take a short rest? You did say you were sleepy…"

Lilith conjured up a bed in the same manner as she had conjured up the chairs. The bed was one fit for a king… big enough for at least four people to comfortably use it.

"One of the benefits of this strange space is that conjured objects don't vanish… they last for _as long as you want_ ," Lilith said, her voice descending into a sultry whisper.

"The three of us may not have entertained any guests for centuries…" Astaroth said. "But we can still show you quite the experience."

Morrigan raised her hands, which began to glow with pale blue light. "But don't get your hopes up, you won't be able to – mmph!"

Astaroth wrapped her tail around Morrigan's mouth to silence her.

If he had been alone, Heinrich might have given up. But he was far from alone, and the presence of his two companions gave him the strength for his next decision.

"That's a tempting offer, but – I'm afraid I'm already taken."

After saying these words, Heinrich invoked Sylph's power and fled at his maximum speed into the fog.

He didn't last five seconds before a soft, yet powerful arm slammed him to the ground. A considerable weight then pinned Heinrich down.

"Really, is this all you have?" muttered the voice of Astaroth, with a harshness that hadn't been present before.

Astaroth got up and, with such ease that she might have been handling a newborn infant, flipped Heinrich over so he could see his surroundings. He saw Lilith and Morrigan leisurely approaching him. Astaroth and Morrigan held down Heinrich's arms, while Lilith sat down on Heinrich's legs.

"There's no point in running, you dumbass, you can't get out of here!" Morrigan said.

"I was wondering why our efforts didn't seem to be working on you," Lilith said. Her voice was still as gentle as it had been before – which, given the current situation, made it all the more intimidating. "So you were a spirit user – hold on," she leaned in and examined Heinrich closely. " – a _dual_ spirit user? You're quite the catch – "

"Just what the hell are you planning?" Heinrich said, glaring up at Lilith.

Lilith wasn't affronted by this display of hostility. With the air of an older sister forgiving their younger brother's mistakes, she replied, "To regain our freedom. Isn't that easy to understand?"

"The freedom to rape and murder whoever you wanted?" Heinrich snapped back.

"I would hardly call it that," Astaroth replied. "Back then, there were literally crowds of men, all lining up for the chance to experience the pleasure we could provide. And even if they weren't willing at first… it only took a few seconds for them to change their minds and start _begging_ for more."

"Besides, there's so many humans all over the place," Morrigan added. "There's no big deal in draining a few!"

Heinrich sighed internally. Before this point, he'd wondered if the stories about the atrocities committed by ancient monsters were exaggerations. After all, historical knowledge was often distorted through the loss of records and the unreliability of memories. Unfortunately, it seemed that this particular aspect of history that was accurate.

 _What to do now?_ Heinrich asked. _Use the earth and try to break free?_

 _I'm… not sure if that would work, maybe with one, but with all three of them…_ Gnome said.

 _I'll have to try, I can't match them with the wind so there's no other option._

"Unfortunately, that's not going to work," Heinrich declared confidently. "Remember what I said before, about travelling with someone else? I lied. Nobody's going to break you out."

Heinrich hoped that these words would unbalance them, give him enough of an opening to break free with Gnome's power.

All three of the Lilith Sisters laughed. The eldest looked down on Heinrich and said sweetly, "If you're trying to lie, you can do better than that. And even if it was the truth, it doesn't matter. You see, this isn't your true body here."

"…What do you mean?" Heinrich said, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible.

"You've probably figured it out by now, but you were drawn here not because of the seal itself, but because of one of our own spells," Lilith explained. "Our ability to influence the outside world is limited… but not non-existent. This spell wasn't designed to draw in a person completely, but to draw in only their mind, which becomes encased in a physical body once it arrives here. Why did we design it this way? Because this leaves behind the person's body in the outside world, _but still linked to the mind_. All we have to do is _persuade_ the mind, and we can control the body. Then we can break the core of the seal, and finally free ourselves."

Lilith leaned in, close enough for her warm breath to tickle Heinrich's face.

"To be honest, it didn't really matter who fell for the trap," Lilith said. "It could have been a human woman, a monster, or even an angel – we have plenty of experience _persuading_ all of them. But it goes without saying that we prefer a healthy young man, one sturdy enough to let us have our fun."

Lilith held Heinrich's head in her hands.

"Just relax, and give in… there is no fighting back after this…"

Heinrich prepared to invoke Gnome's power – even if he couldn't do anything more than buying time, even if he had to break his bones in the process, he had to keep fighting. Suddenly, he felt a great vibration, like an earthquake. But that shouldn't have been possible in here – and, judging from the Lilith Sisters' confused reactions, it was unexpected for them as well.

Then everything disappeared in flash of light.

-ooo-

Mary looked desperately at the unmoving body of Heinrich. Lilith and Lilim were kneeling on either side of him, their hands glowing with purple light and placed on his head. Mary had her hands on the shoulders of the two succubus sisters and was channelling mana to them.

When Mary had realised Heinrich was missing, she'd immediately run out from the village following his trail. She'd discovered his body nearby, unresponsive to all of her attempts to rouse him, even telepathy. The crystal sphere was lying on the ground nearby, and Mary could sense tendrils of succubus magic linking it to him.

Mary had quickly called Lilith and Lilim for help. On arrival, they recognised the magic as one used by the most insatiable succubi to trap a man's mind in a mental world so that he could be drained endlessly, a spell that had been forbidden because it invariably broke the man in question.

They'd immediately begun working to remove the spell. The difficulty of achieving this without destroying Heinrich's mind in the process meant that Lilith and Lilim handled the actual procedure, as they were more familiar with succubus magic. Conversely, the immense amount of power in the spell required Mary to give the two of them a considerable amount of mana if they wanted to succeed. They had only been working for two minutes… but these were the longest two minutes of Mary's life.

Finally, Heinrich sprang up, gasping for breath. Mary pulled him into her embrace and refused to let go.

After they had all calmed down somewhat, Heinrich recounted his experiences. Each and every word made Mary's blood boil. When he finished, Mary stood up.

"I'm going to make sure that this never happens to anyone, ever again," Mary declared.

"Are – Are you sure?" Lilim asked. "The way Heinrich described them, we might not be able to take them on even with the four of us – "

"Oh, I'm not talking about freeing and then killing them," Mary said. "I have something much better planned for them."

Mary pointed her staff at the seal's core, causing it to float, and strode off. She didn't bother moderating her pace as she usually did, so the others had to half-jog to keep up with her.

"Wait, hold on!" said a voice from the core, which was now shining with purple light.

"Whatever you have to say, I don't care, so save your breath," Mary replied bluntly.

The light within the core dimmed briefly, in a manner reminiscent of an eye blinking. The voice continued, "This aura… so his companion was one of the Founder's descendants."

"It's Lilith – the other one," Heinrich said to the others.

"I'm sorry for making such advances on your consort," the older Lilith said. "If you would please listen to me – "

Mary magically pulled up some sand and used it to cover the surface of the core.

" – we can make a deal that would be beneficial to both of us," Lilith continued. "If you were to free us, we would serve you as loyally as we did Minagi – "

"Just shut up, do you really think you can still negotiate at this point?" the younger Lilith said. "Besides, bringing up Minagi doesn't help your case."

"Do you know what we teach young succubi about the likes of you?" Lilim said. "We teach them that you're examples of what _not_ to be! Monsters like you are the reason why there are humans who hate us!"

The light in the core changed to red. "Do you know why succubi, or monsters in general, can live today in safety?" said another, deeper voice. "It's because of the effort and sacrifices of monsters like us that you can do that, it's because of us that you can live without the fear of being slaughtered by angels."

"Even if that was completely true – and after what you just did, I'm in no mood to trust _anything_ you say – that's not a reason to set you free!" Heinrich said. "By that logic, you should accept a parent who abuses you – after all, they're the reason you exist, right?"

The light changed to blue. "You think you're so tough, hiding behind their backs?" said a third voice. "Get in here and I'll show you! I'm the weakest of us sisters, and even I could turn you into dried fish in an instant!"

They reached a point far from the village, far from any road, and Mary stopped. She set down the core and began excavating a hole with earth magic. The sand was lifted up from a particular spot continuously for over thirty seconds, forming a pile the size of a large boulder.

"I think that's deep enough, don't you?" Mary said, not addressing anyone in particular.

The light within the core flashed rapidly. "Stop, there has to be a better way than this!" the older Lilith shouted. "If you simply bury us, a burrowing monster could find us. If you – if you lock us up in the Monster Lord's Castle instead, nobody would ever find us!"

Mary laughed – a long, chaotic sound that sent shivers down the spines of her companions. "You must have forgotten everything about how to tempt people if you thought I'd fall for that," she said.

And then Mary dropped the core in the hole. Once it had fallen far enough that she could no longer see its light, she filled up the hole.

They returned to the village in silence.

* * *

 _AN: For those unfamiliar with them, the Lilith Sisters are fairly major characters introduced in Paradox. This is the first and also the last appearance they will make in this story – their sheer power (to give some perspective, Lilith is an equal match for a serious Alma Elma) would unbalance everything if they ever got out of their seal._

 _A minor bit of trivia: canonically, Succubus Village 500 years before the present was disguised as a human village. Even the men in the village weren't aware of most of the women being succubi. This didn't fit my plans for this story so I changed it._


	21. Chapter 20: Grangold

To Mary's pleasant surprise, it started snowing as they were approaching Grangold. She and Heinrich played in the snow for a while, though they weren't able to have as much fun as they could have – for example, Mary couldn't take advantage of her monster anatomy to throw many snowballs at once – because of their proximity to the city. After half an hour of this, they were satisfied and moved on.

Grangold was noticeably smaller than the other cities that they had encountered – it covered less area and the buildings were shorter on average. It was still an impressive sight, especially due to the layer of gleaming white snow that covered everything. The people were notable as well. While there was a lower percentage of monsters than in Sabasa or San Ilia, they were still fairly common and all kinds of races could be seen, including beasts, slimes, insects, and dragons. Many of the people, human and monster alike, wore the long robes of mages – fitting for a city known for its magical research.

They found a pub near the edge of the city, this one named "The Tragic Lovers". The odd name was, according to the bartender, apparently due to an old story: there once was a pair of lovers in this city, an arachne and a human man who was a soldier of Grangold; their relationship was a forbidden one as the arachne clan was an enemy of Grangold at the time; one day, the soldier went off to battle and was believed to have been killed; the arachne was stricken with grief and committed suicide by poison; however, the soldier was actually alive and returned, only to jump off the city wall to follow his love into death. The site where he landed was supposedly where this pub was eventually built.

Mary sincerely wished that she hadn't heard this macabre story. It actually managed to put her off her appetite.

After ordering lunch, they sat down and listened to the surrounding conversations.

A group of merchants expressed their relief over the resolution of the water shortage in Sabasa. While the city had increased its imports of food during the shortage, it had decreased its other imports and most of its exports, resulting in a net loss for all parties involved. Now that this issue had been resolved, the economy all over the continent was improving. Mary and the rest of her group were happy at hearing this.

The same merchants also mentioned plans to expand trade with Hellgondo. This had been limited in the past by the difficulty of travelling to and from the northern continent – with ships unable to make port there, the only ways to transport cargo were to use the narrow undersea tunnel or to have it carried by a flying or sea monster. Some proposed expanding the tunnel, but there was concern over the possibility of cave-ins. Others proposed the construction of a proper port on Hellgondo's coast, but this was not only difficult in a technical sense but also faced opposition from some monsters, who believed it would weaken the continent's natural defences against military attack.

Following on from this, there was also discussion about the North Sea Temple, located just off the Gold Coast to the north of Grangold. It was the seat of power in the northern seas and any plans to expand trade would need to consider it. Relationships between Grangold and the North Sea Temple had been cordial in the past, but recently they seemed to have taken a turn for the worse. The situation was complicated by the simple fact that humans and most monsters – including freshwater monsters such as Frog Girls – could not personally visit the undersea temple. This included Heinrich – Sylph's power couldn't pull breathable air out of water, although it might be possible if he had the water spirit Undine – so the two of them wouldn't be able to visit in the near future.

Then there were the recent movements of monsters in the region. The scarcity of resources in this dry land meant that many monsters had to adopt a nomadic lifestyle to survive. Last week, one such group had stopped a half-day's march from Grangold. Normally, this wouldn't be cause for concern – indeed, the city merchants often looked forward to the opportunity to trade with the nomads for the items they found or crafted during their travels. However, this particular group made the city guards increase their patrols and the rest of the city stay indoors at night. The group included monsters who were known to have been exiled from their original homes, and its leaders were the Nereneids – a family that was infamous for its casual disregard for the Monster Lord's laws.

An hour passed. Once they had heard everything that they were likely to, the two of them left the pub and moved on to the marketplace.

-ooo-

At nightfall, they found an inn and rented a room. Once safely in the privacy of said room, Mary decided to bring up something that had been bothering her for a while.

"Okay, I know you've been worried about something ever since Succubus Village, and I have an idea of what it is, so please tell me what it is. It's not healthy to keep personal issues bottled up like that. In exchange, I'll tell you one of my own problems, how about that?"

Heinrich blinked, then smiled. "Thanks. I've been talking to Sylph and Gnome about this over the past few days, and – well, it has to come out sometime." He took a deep breath. "Okay, so it has to do with the Lilith Sisters."

"What did they – " Mary began, then she growled as a series of nightmarish images entered her mind. "Did we – did we not make in time? Did they – "

"No, that – that didn't happen, you did make in time," Heinrich said quickly. "It's just – even so, I can't stop thinking about it. It's not like I haven't been approached in that way before, such as by the captain of those scylla pirates, but that was just a few words in the middle of battle. It was those sisters who were the first to actually capture me, and – and – "

"And they said they would break you, make you their plaything," Mary finished. "They would make you enjoy it."

Heinrich nodded slightly. "It reminded me of those bandits all the way back in Noah, the ones who ended up captured by insect monsters," he said. "Even though I know that they were horrible people, the way you described them, I – I was afraid of becoming like that. I was afraid… of betraying you."

"How can you – that's ridiculous!" Mary said. She reached out and grasped Heinrich's hands firmly. "Even if – even if that had happened, that wouldn't be your fault! That's like – that's like saying that a murder victim 'betrayed' their loved ones by getting killed!"

"I know – and Sylph and Gnome said the same thing to me," Heinrich replied. "Still… I don't know how to handle this kind of situation. Back when I was growing up, whenever I was taught anything about the victims of monsters, they just treated them as being as good as dead."

Mary closed her eyes briefly as she considered what to say. "Okay. Listen carefully. I also didn't learn much about this topic when I was young – I always thought of the world as one of sunshine and rainbows, where everyone could get along." She smiled ruefully. "But I learned more over the course of this journey, by reading books and talking to all sorts of people. I still can't claim to be an expert, but – "

"I'm not sure if anyone can really be an expert on this," Heinrich said. "But I still want to hear what you have to say."

"Thanks," Mary said. "Now, the main thing to remember is: rape is not sex. I know that might sound weird, since it goes against the technical definition, but that's how it is. Sex is when everyone wants it to happen, when everyone gets to enjoy it, and rape is the opposite of that. When a person chooses to rape someone else, whether to degrade them, to produce a child or for their own enjoyment, that's not sex, it's a crime, just as much as theft or murder are. Someone who is raped did not do anything wrong, they are _not_ dirty, and they have every right to keep living as they want."

Sylph and Gnome appeared, floating on either side of Heinrich.

"Do you get it now?" Sylph said. "I might not be all that smart, but I do know that this kind of stuff isn't the victim's fault. Please, cheer up!"

Gnome slapped Sylph, then said, "It might be difficult to just cheer up… but, remember that you can always talk to someone else, if you're ever worried."

"…Thanks, everyone," Heinrich said. Then he looked at Mary and asked, "So what were you planning to tell me?"

Mary jumped. She had actually forgotten about that and didn't like the thought of revealing her secret in this situation. She said, "Er, well, I don't want to make this about me, I was trying to – "

"Come on, you were the one arguing that personal issues shouldn't be bottled up," Heinrich said.

Mary sighed. "Okay then. I'm worried about, essentially, losing myself when I get angry. It first started back in the Noah region, when I incinerated those insects along with their captives, and – "

" – And you started worrying about it again after you buried the Lilith Sisters and laughed about it," Heinrich finished.

Mary nodded. She sat down on the bed and buried her face in the pillow.

"That's – hey, it's not that bad!" Sylph said. When Gnome gave her a threatening look, she quickly added, "Okay, so it is a bit of a problem, but you _know_ it's a problem, and you're talking to other people about it, you're already on the road to solving it!"

"If you're concerned about controlling your anger… I can teach you techniques for meditation…" Gnome suggested.

"I can give you some advice on based on my experiences with anger," Heinrich said. "I used to go out into the forest and deliberately think of the things that made me angry, then devote myself to sword training, so I could let it all out in a way that wouldn't hurt anyone. That helped me stay in control when I did get angry."

Mary looked up and smiled. Rather than using words to thank them, she used several tentacles to pull the other three into a slightly awkward hug.

-ooo-

The next morning, Heinrich was wandering through the streets of Grangold alone – well, as much as it was possible for someone with two spirits in his head to be alone. While looking around at the various sights, he spotted something that caught his interest. He spent a few moments thinking, then stepped through the door of the carpenters' guild hall.

The guild hall was filled with large and rough-looking men. Just a year ago, Heinrich would have been shaken by a sight like this. He had spent his childhood being looked down on by such men for his short stature and slight build. Now, however, he knew that not everyone was like that. Now, he could hold his head high and go about his business confidently.

Heinrich examined his surroundings with all of his senses, both normal and magical. There were exactly sixty seven people in the building right now, across its three floors and fifty two rooms. Most of them were in the middle of business: discussing projects, ordering tools and supplies, grumbling over personal issues. Heinrich located one particular carpenter who was leaning against a wall and not doing anything at the moment.

"Excuse me, can I ask you a question?" Heinrich said, approaching the carpenter.

"Didn't you just do that?" the carpenter replied. "Heh, anyway, go ahead."

"I'm looking for advice on – well, I guess this isn't really the right place to ask. Anyway, I'm working on a – a small piece of woodwork, for personal reasons, and – "

The carpenter held up a hand. "You don't have to say any more, I get it."

"Wait, how did you – "

"Put it this way – you're not the first person to think of doing that. Though I'm pretty sure you'll do a better job of it than I did – anyway, if you go to Grangold Castle and head north on the main road, then take the fifth street on the right, you'll find a little shop owned by an old woman called Rosa. This kind of thing is her specialty."

Heinrich thanked the carpenter and left the building. Following the directions, he first went to Grangold Castle.

The castle was located at the very centre of Grangold. Surprisingly, it was larger than any of the castles that Heinrich had seen before, despite the city itself being smaller than the other three capital cities on Sentora. The walls were decorated with statues of various people, whom Heinrich presumed to be important figures in Grangold's history. There were eight separate towers, the tallest of which seemed to reach even the clouds in the sky. A massive gate was set into the castle's outer wall, dozens of people streaming through it every minute.

Not having any business in the castle itself, Heinrich walked around it to get to the north road. He soon found the shop the carpenter had recommended: "Rosa's Fine Crafts". It was a small shop, barely wider than it was tall. The sign was old and visibly worn down by exposure to the elements. Still, Heinrich wasn't the kind of person to be discouraged by subpar appearances.

Upon stepping through the door, Heinrich found himself surrounded by chaos. There were all sorts of trinkets, piled and stacked up on shelves without any sense of organisation. In addition to wood carvings, there were small paintings, pressed flowers, even a few small stuffed animals. There was so much of everything that it actually blocked the view of the back of the shop. If it wasn't for his additional senses, Heinrich wouldn't have noticed the other person in the shop.

She was an old woman, with white hair that was as untidy as everything else in the shop, a wrinkled face bearing an enigmatic expression, and a body so hunched over with age that she was a head shorter than Heinrich. She wore ornate spectacles and a faded blue robe. Overall, she gave off the impression of an old witch straight from a fairy tale.

The woman approached, saying, "Hello, I am Rosa, the owner of this shop. How can I help you?"

"Hello, I'm Heinrich," Heinrich replied. "I'm here because I'd like your advice on – on a gift, one that I plan on giving to someone who – who I'm in a relationship with."

"A romantic gift, hmm?" Rosa said. "That really takes me back… you might not believe it, but I used to be _quite_ the pretty little thing back then… there were lots of men lining up for a chance to see me – " she looked at Heinrich and blinked. "Wait, you – oh. Interesting…"

 _Does_ everyone _but me have the ability to read minds?_ Heinrich thought.

 _Well… just now, you jumped a little when she talked about her past, so…_ Sylph explained.

"How many?" Rosa asked, a twinkle of mischief in her eyes. "Three? Four?"

"T – Two!" Heinrich said. "It's complicated, alright!?"

Heinrich shuffled his feet nervously. He had thought about this issue a few times over the past few weeks, but still had yet to come to any conclusion. He tried discussing it with the spirits – being unable to bring up the topic with Mary – but the "obvious solution" they suggested was something he couldn't quite agree with.

"Well, it seems you have quite a lot to deal with," Rosa said. "Tell me about it and I'll see what I can do to help you…"

-ooo-

Mary sighed inwardly. It seemed that, no matter where she went, she always ran into some kind of problem.

After thanking the person she was talking to, Mary returned to the street. Today was the third day they had spent in Grangold. The sun was setting and the temperature was dropping rapidly, so there weren't many people around at the moment. She sent a telepathic message to Heinrich, telling him to meet her at The Tragic Lovers.

Mary arrived at the inn first, with Heinrich arriving a few minutes later. They returned to their room and Mary explained what she had heard.

"Did you hear about that merchant caravan that got lost on the way to Grangold?"

"I did," Heinrich said. "From what I heard, everyone thinks it got lost in the snow. It's not usual for people to be travelling at this time of year."

"It seems that they wanted to be the first with a major cargo from Sabasa. Anyway, my point is, while the snow is a plausible story, I think the real cause is something else. You see…"

Mary fell silent, long enough for Heinrich to ask, "What is it?"

"I'm not sure if I should say this," Mary said. "It's the kind of issue that we might not be able to do anything about. Because of that, it might be better to just – "

Heinrich held Mary's hands. "You can tell me," he said. "We're in this together."

"…It's the monsters who are camped near Grangold right now, the ones led by the Nereneids," Mary said. "Among monster nobility, they have a reputation for the worst of crimes. Everyone knows that they kidnap, kill and eat humans on a regular basis… but no one can ever prove it. And they know everyone knows that, and they're _proud_ of that! Even when I was younger, I couldn't stop myself shivering around them. I was warned on multiple occasions – most recently by Lilith and Lilim – to never get involved with them on this journey. The point is, I think they're the ones responsible for the merchants disappearing."

"That's… definitely a problem," Heinrich said.

The two spirits appeared.

"I say you should go ahead and investigate anyway!" Sylph said. "When you become the Monster Lord yourself, you're not going to just let people like that keep going, right? So you should – eep!"

After slapping Sylph, Gnome said, "If they can keep doing such activities… they must have considerable political connections…"

"They do, from what I've heard," Mary replied.

"In that case, you cannot do much…"

Mary lowered her head in disappointment. It was what she expected, but still it hurt.

"…openly, that is," Gnome finished.

The other three all tilted their heads in confusion.

"Here, I must do something I rarely do… agree with Sylph," Gnome said. "Even if it's politically untenable to deal with them openly… it's also not an option to leave alone people who flout your laws. They undermine the legitimacy of your rule and, if left alone… may attempt to overthrow you, or support others who do. They need to be dealt with."

"What exactly are you suggesting?" Heinrich asked.

"Monsters like these have power not just from personal strength… but from their appearance of being powerful," Gnome said. "By appearing to be unstoppable and invincible, they attract allies and discourage opposition. You must wear away at that façade… make them seem weak. Then their allies will abandon them and their enemies will be emboldened. That is the only way to break their power."

They all listened intently as Gnome explained her plan.

"It cannot be known that the daughter of the Monster Lord did anything. But by hiding in the shadows, you can still thwart their actions…"

-ooo-

Alexander gathered the last of the documents into a pile. Carrying them with him, he stood up and left the room.

While walking through a corridor of the Monster Lord's Castle, Alexander wondered whether he should continue working on the documents in his own time. On the one hand, it would mean less work for tomorrow – and as one of the scribes who served the Monster Lord, he was always swamped with work. On the other hand, it would leave him less time to sleep. James had criticised him on more than one occasion for overworking.

 _But if I – hm, if I just keep going, I should be able to finish half of them before going to bed – besides, if I leave it for tomorrow, I'll just encounter this same problem tomorrow. But first, I'd better talk to the others, see what their situations are like before I decide._

Alexander headed to a room where one of his colleagues, Argo, was still working. Argo was a scylla and she was moving all eight of her tentacles rapidly: signing, sorting and filing away documents. If he was honest with himself, Alexander was somewhat jealous of her ability to work so quickly and efficiently. Sometimes, he wished he had been born a scylla so that he could also –

 _Calm down, Alexander. You're getting too dedicated to the job again._

Clearing his mind of these thoughts, Alexander asked Argo about the current state of her work.

"Not good, I'm afraid," Argo said. "There's been considerable activity in Safina lately. It all started when the corpse of an ancient Sandworm Girl was found."

"I did see a brief mention of that, though I didn't pay much attention since it's not my area," Alexander said.

"Well, it's a major issue because she hadn't died of natural causes, there were clear signs she was killed by powerful magic," Argo said. "Nobody witnessed the actual event, so nobody knows how it happened and _everybody_ is worried about what it means. There's half a dozen theories going around, most harmless, but then there's the one that claims the Sabasans are expanding to take all of the resources of the region, with the killing of the Sandworm Girl being their first move."

"What – that's absurd," Alexander said. "Even ignoring all of the other problems with that theory, to kill such a powerful monster would require an entire army – there's no way they could have done that with no one seeing them."

"You know that, and I know that, but people whose lives are at risk rarely think rationally," Argo said. "There are monsters banding together, preparing to resist what they think is a future invasion from Sabasa. Because of all this, I doubt I'll be sleeping a wink tonight…"

"I won't take up any more of your time then, good night," Alexander said.

Alexander left the room and continued walking, disturbed by this new revelation. Safina was a place he'd been interested in ever since he was a child, being a hot desert in contrast to the cold desert of Hellgondo. He was planning to travel there someday… but with this recent turmoil, that seemed to be out of the question for now.

Moving on, Alexander came to a room with another of his colleagues, a large blue slime called Helico. "Large" was the most apparent descriptor for her: she consisted of a humanoid body resting on an amorphous blob that was larger than most beds. Numerous pseudopods extended from this blob, which Helico used like a scylla's tentacles to assist her work. It might seem odd for a slime to be working with paper, but their race actually had precise control over the substance of their bodies – it was why they didn't leave trails of slime everywhere.

As it turned out, Helico didn't have good news for Alexander either.

"Plansect Village," Helico said, sighing with frustration. "Just… that fucking village. Why did the plants and insects have to try and live together in the same forest, when their needs and wants are totally different? There's a perfectly good mountain nearby that would be better for the insects, why can't they live there? But no, they _have_ to live together, and the rest of us have to put up with their squabbling and a stupidly named village."

"…I take it that there's trouble there again?" Alexander asked.

"Technically, I don't know – nobody here does, as we haven't received any communications from them in the past couple of months," Helico said. "Of course, that means that there must be _something_ going on. For all I know, they're plotting to rebel or to commit mass suicide for no reason. I've tried bringing this to the Monster Lord's attention, but considering all of the _other_ things happening right now, I can see why she hasn't done anything about it yet… Anyway, what's happening on your end?"

"I'm afraid I don't really have good news, either," Alexander said. "I've been in contact with our ambassadors to the Ilias continent. They were recently expelled from their offices there, with no proper explanation offered. And then there's the treatment of monsters… in the best case, they're forbidden from entering towns at night lest they 'corrupt the morals of the people'. In the worst case, the humans are forming mobs to chase down and kill any monsters who can't escape in time."

Helico's eyes widened. "Damn, that actually manages to be worse than what I have to deal with. But seriously, how did it ever get that bad?"

"That's the thing, it doesn't make any sense," Alexander said. "There hasn't been any change of leadership, nor have the monsters there done anything unusual. It's just… I can't explain it."

"There's never an end to our workload, is there?" Helico said. "I can never find enough time to have fun – and when I do have the time, it's hard to find a man who's okay with being slimed up."

Alexander merely raised an eyebrow at this comment.

"…Yeah, I suppose you have even more trouble with that," Helico said. "Still, you did succeed in the end."

"Though the journey there was still difficult," Alexander added. "Anyway, that's enough grumbling about personal issues. We'll never get things done at this rate. See you tomorrow."

After these two conversations, Alexander made up his mind. He would devote his effort to getting these documents done tonight, as the current state of affairs meant that there'd be an even greater workload waiting for him tomorrow. Alexander headed for his personal room.

Unfortunately, not everyone in the castle was so pleasant to deal with.

As he was nearing his room, Alexander heard a voice call out to him: a voice with an aristocratic air to it, of the sort that aroused disgust in listeners.

"Pardon me, but do you have a moment?"

Alexander slowly turned around. Approaching him was Rhea Nereneid, the younger sister of Thalia Nereneid. She had the same purple skin and hair as her older sister, but differed in that she expressed land-dweller instead of plant traits. Her lower body resembled that of a giant slug, with a muscular foot and a covering of viscous mucus, though it also possessed numerous tentacles of various lengths.

"Yes – how can I help you, milady?" Alexander asked, doing his best to keep the abject terror out of his voice.

Rhea simply smiled. "You see, it's surprisingly lonely in this castle. I was wondering if you would be willing to… accompany me for the night."

Alexander felt his heart stop in his throat. It wasn't likely that she would go too far and kill him, not in the Monster Lord's Castle… but from her family's reputation, even that wasn't certain.

"Oh, are you reluctant because of these?" Rhea asked, waving her tentacles around. "Don't worry, even if it feels uncomfortable at first, you'll _definitely_ enjoy it – "

"Unfortunately for you, Rhea, he already has an appointment with me."

Both of them turned to see Dinah Fateburn approaching. Alexander could not suppress his relief.

"So I'm afraid you'll have to bear with the loneliness for a little while longer," Dinah finished.

Rhea didn't show any signs of anger or frustration. Instead, she smirked and said, "I'm sorry for trying to claim one of yours. I should have known that you would be interested in a man like this."

"Oh? And who was the one who just attempted to approach 'a man like this'?" Dinah retorted.

Rhea didn't say anything more. She turned and oozed away. After she was gone, Dinah led Alexander to the door of his room.

"Sorry about that," Dinah said. "It took me a while to track her down – she can be surprisingly stealthy when she wants to."

"No, I'm just glad for the help," Alexander replied quickly.

Dinah let out an exasperated breath. "Really, I should be keeping this from happening in the first place. Sometimes, I wish that I could be as carefree as – never mind. Good night."

Dinah left. Alexander bowed after her, then entered his room.

James was sitting on the bed. He stood up and said, "There you are, what took you so – wait, what's wrong?"

Alexander dropped the documents on the small table, with none of the care he usually took with them. He collapsed onto the bed.

"Don't tell me you're overworking again?" James said. "I keep telling you to take it easy – "

"It's not that," Alexander. "I – just what is going on? What will happen next? I don't know…"


	22. Chapter 21: Family Enemies

The Nereneid camp would take half a day to reach from Grangold on human feet, half an hour on harpy or succubus wings.

Heinrich and Mary took fifteen minutes, with Mary holding Heinrich and him using Sylph's power to increase her flight speed to a level that no monster could have achieved on her own. They landed a few hundred metres away from the camp to avoid detection. Their stealthy approach was assisted by the weather, as the moon and stars were obscured by a thick layer of clouds. They hid in the shadow of a hill and discussed their plans.

First of all, they needed information. The only information they had was the number of men who had disappeared – twelve – and the various facts that Mary remembered about the Nereneids. They didn't know if the men were actually here, where – if they were indeed here – the men were in the camp, or the number or strength of the monsters inside. It was impossible to carry out a stealth operation with such a shortage of information. This was something that Gnome had emphasised, something that she had heard from veteran soldiers who had visited her home throughout her long life.

It was decided that Heinrich would infiltrate the camp first to gather the necessary information. While Mary was understandably reluctant to allow him to enter hostile territory alone, there were several good reasons for it. First, Heinrich had greatly improved his fine control of the wind recently, to the point of being able to turn invisible, move silently and hold in his scent. He could do this well enough that, in one test conducted a week ago, he had been able to hide from Mary for over an hour. Second, although he was less powerful than Mary, that also meant he gave off less of an aura for others to sense. Both of them knew how to suppress their auras, but there was a limit to how much this could be done, and high-ranking monsters would have a higher chance of detecting Mary than they would Heinrich. Third, he had access to the combined knowledge and experience of three people, so he would be better able to deal with unexpected situations. Finally, he had also improved with the power of the earth as well, allowing him to use it at the same time as the wind. This, along with the armour he had put on, would help him stay alive in the unlikely chance that he was discovered and forced to flee.

The four of them continued their discussions for some time, thinking up backup plans for various possibilities. Once they had finished their preparations, Heinrich shrouded himself in a cloak of wind and approached the camp.

The first thing that Heinrich noticed was the sheer size of the camp. It consisted of over a hundred large tents, possibly over two hundred, with the largest being the size of small houses. The tents were spread out across an area larger than even Succubus Village. It wasn't what he had been expecting from something intended to be packed up and moved on a regular basis. The simplest explanation was that it needed to be this large to house its population – if true, this didn't bode well for their plans.

Heinrich entered the camp itself and carefully made his way between the tents. He could sense monsters sleeping within the tents. Every now and then, he encountered one who was still awake. Whenever this happened, he slipped into the shadow of a tent and waited until the monster had passed by before continuing. Fortunately, the ground around here was hard and compacted, so Heinrich didn't leave any footprints that might betray his presence.

There were many types of monsters among those that Heinrich encountered: beasts, harpies, lamias, slimes, alraunes, land- and even sea-dwellers. As expected, each and every one of them was powerful. The flow of the air around them and the aura they gave off were both far greater than those of the average monster. However, none of them were equal to a Queen-class monster like Lilith or Lilim, let alone to the likes of Tamamo or Sphinx – this, at least, was reassuring.

After a few minutes, Heinrich came to the conclusion that each tent housed one, and only one, monster. It seemed that they were too proud to live with each other, too antisocial, or, most likely, a mix of these and other reasons. After some more investigation, he determined that there were one hundred and fifty to two hundred tents, so the number of potential enemies was also within these limits. Heinrich felt a sense of dread again at this point, having never encountered such odds before, but was reassured by the two spirits.

While scouting out the camp, Heinrich heard a trio of monsters conversing. He slowly crept closer, never letting down his guard, until he could clearly hear them.

"There! And – " a sound of clattering dice, " – shit! That's the third time I've lost in a row! What are the odds of that!?"

"Well, under the current rules of the game, a loss means a total of six or lower, so the odds are – "

"Shut up, not the point! Argh, how much do I owe now…"

"If you want to blame something, blame your own luck. Now, pay up."

"That's… everything I found in the last trip! Dammit, I was hoping to save up and buy that new dress…"

"Before you do that, wouldn't it be better to first – "

There was some more light-hearted banter, then Heinrich heard the words that caused his breath to catch in his throat.

"I haven't been able to feed on a man in a while – think they'd let me take a turn if I asked?"

"No, they're still busy having fun themselves. We'll only get their leftovers – assuming they leave any of them alive."

"Sometimes, I wonder if I would've been better off staying on my own. Back then I could keep all of my catches to myself."

"But if you kept doing that alone, there's a good chance that you would have been tracked down and killed, either by the Monster Lord's enforcers or by the humans."

"Ha, don't be ridiculous! There's no way I'd lose to humans, or to the pathetic weaklings who live with them!"

"That is a false assumption. One or a few humans might not be a threat to you, but you should not underestimate the power of numbers. Moreover, humans with the proper training and equipment are far superior to the ones you preyed on in the past – "

"I – I get it now, so shut up!"

"For the likes of us to get first pickings, we'd need to get much stronger…"

Heinrich moved on, afraid that if he continued listening to this conversation, he might break his cover and show these monsters how strong a human – albeit one empowered and trained by monsters – could be.

It didn't take long for Heinrich to find what the trio were talking about. In the centre of the village were several massive tents, massive enough that he could see their tops from some distance away. One of them had a soundproofing enchantment on it, causing the flow of wind from inside to be unnaturally still and thus making the tent stand out like a huge black spot on a white wall. And when Heinrich got close enough to actually see the tent, he discovered the bodies.

Piled up along one side of the tent were four human bodies. They were unlike any that Heinrich had seen before – and he had seen numerous bodies over the course of this journey, dead of causes ranging from violence to sickness. They were shrivelled up to the point that Heinrich initially mistook them for logs and, even after he realised their true nature, it took him a few seconds to determine that the bodies were male – the damage was simply that severe. Furthermore, they were piled up in a manner that showed zero respect for the dead – even the bodies of executed criminals were treated better than this.

Heinrich scanned his surroundings twice to make sure that no one else was around, then crept up to the side of the tent and pressed his ear against it. The direct contact caused him to be considered part of the "area" affected by the enchantment, allowing him to sense what was happening inside the tent.

There were thirteen people in the tent, five monsters and eight humans. All of the monsters were noticeably more powerful than the others. Moreover, judging from their breathing, heartbeat, and the way they moved, the monsters were all full of life… while the humans were on the verge of death. And then there were the voices.

"Come on, is that all you've got?"

"Hmph, not even five minutes – don't you have any pride as a man?"

"Again – and I haven't even touched your – "

 _Wait!_

Heinrich froze, as both Sylph and Gnome called out to him. He realised that his hand was on the hilt on his sword, ready to draw it so he could charge in, rescue the captives and then cut up –

 _You can't!_ Sylph said. _You don't stand a chance against them!_

 _Remember the mission!_ Gnome added. _You must stay hidden, find out what you need and return to Mary to plan your next move!_

Heinrich took several deep breaths to try and calm himself. Unfortunately, his focus had still lapsed for a few seconds, and that was all that was needed for his wind cloak to vanish.

"Oh? It seems that we have a voyeur."

Heinrich quickly re-established the wind cloak, only for a wave of magic to emanate from the tent and cause the cloak to vanish once more.

 _She dispelled it? This is bad, you have to get out of –_

There was no time for Heinrich to listen to Sylph's advice. One by one, the monsters emerged from the tent – and more approached from all directions. Whoever noticed Heinrich must have sent out a telepathic message to notify the rest of the camp. Heinrich considered fleeing at full speed, but dismissed that as having a slim chance of success. As the Lilith Sisters had shown, high-ranking monsters accelerating themselves with their own power of the wind could catch up to him – and although only a fraction of the monsters here would be that fast, it only took one to slow him down for the rest to capture him.

There was just one advantage to this situation: Mary would definitely notice a commotion of this magnitude. However, she wouldn't know the exact details of what was happening: they had agreed to avoid using telepathy in advance, as there would definitely be monsters here capable of sensing it and using it to find out Mary's location. As a result, Heinrich could only trust her to carry out her part of the backup plan for this situation.

While Heinrich considered his options, the monsters from the tent gathered in front of him. They were naked and covered in sweat, a sight that he might have found alluring if he wasn't already in a relationship, if he didn't know what they were doing and had done in the past, and a dozen other reasons. Out of the five of them, the purple alraune was clearly the leader: her face and posture exhibited the confidence of a leader, the other monsters were deferent towards her, and she matched Mary's description.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Thalia Nereneid said. "A brave little hero, who visited our humble abode all on his own… except for a few spirits?"

Suppressing his fear, Heinrich gave a small bow and said, "My name is Heinrich, milady. I apologise for intruding on you at this hour."

There was riotous laughter among most of the monsters.

Thalia simply smiled, in an elegant manner that would not be out of place in a royal court, and replied, "And you know proper etiquette as well! That's quite rare these days… I must apologise as well, you've caught my companions and I in quite an… indecent state."

The monsters laughed again. Heinrich kept his face neutral and remained silent.

"And even if you had come at a better time, we wouldn't be able to give you proper accommodations," Thalia said, gesturing around at the tents. "One of the consequences of being disfavoured by the Monster Lord is that we lack the amenities to properly receive guests. That said…" Thalia's smile widened. "I would be willing to _personally_ make up for this. Would you like to accompany me to my tent?"

After pretending to consider this offer, Heinrich replied, "I'm sorry, but I must refuse."

These words were answered with jeers of "You have some nerve!" and "Accept it, you'd never get a chance like this yourself!". Heinrich ignored them, focusing on the main threat.

 _You seem to be fairly composed, despite the situation,_ Gnome said.

 _What can I say?_ Heinrich replied. _After briefly getting trapped in an alternate space with three legendary succubi, I just… don't get the same kind of feeling from the people here, even if they are more numerous._

 _That's the spirit!_ Sylph chimed in. _I knew from the moment we met that you would grow into a total badass! Now, let's kick their asses – ouchie!_

 _Don't advocate such reckless actions… and what exactly is a 'badass'?_ Gnome said.

After things had calmed down somewhat, Thalia asked, "Are you certain about that? I assure you, accepting my offer and allowing me to take care of you will be much more pleasant than the… alternative."

"I'm sorry, but I'm already in a relationship with someone," Heinrich replied. "And aside from that, I would have to turn you down regardless. I prefer my body fluids right where they are."

Thalia's subordinates stopped their casual act. They began closing in, displaying their claws, fangs, tentacles and other natural weapons.

"I must admit, I haven't heard that before," Thalia said, a slight edge entering her voice. "It's a pity that you couldn't listen to reason, but gave in to such ridiculous sentiments. It would have been better for all if you'd accepted…"

"No matter how many times you try asking, my answer won't change," Heinrich said, his hand drifting towards his sword.

Then came the words that, to Heinrich, were the most welcome in the entire world.

 _I'm finished!_

In the next moment, a wave of powerful dark magic swept over the camp.

All of the monsters reacted the same way: their limbs twitched and they fell to the ground. Heinrich was completely unaffected and, when he rushed into the tent to begin rescuing them, he saw that the captive men were the same.

This was the backup plan for if Heinrich was detected and unable to escape on his own. Mary would run around the perimeter of the camp to mark out a massive magic circle. By using dragon's blood, a rare and powerful magical catalyst that she had brought over in her luggage from the Monster Lord's Castle, she would be able to set up a spell powerful enough to paralyse all of Thalia's group while leaving herself, Heinrich and the captive men unaffected. Of course, the sheer power of the targets meant that it wouldn't even last ten seconds, even with Mary using up her entire supply of dragon's blood, but that was all the time they would need to save the men. They didn't need to do anything more than that: simply freeing the men would be undeniable proof that the Nereneids were breaking the Monster Lord's laws and that they were not strong enough to stop two intruders from raiding their camp, destroying their reputation.

Holding two men, one in each arm, Heinrich rushed out of the tent towards the entrance to the camp. Along the way he passed Mary, who was heading in the opposite direction. She re-established their telepathic link.

 _Sorry, I – ,_ Heinrich began.

 _It's not your fault, let's just focus on saving these men!_ Mary replied.

Heinrich continued his mad dash until he was a fair distance away from the village. He set down the men, quickly told them to wait here – though there was little point in doing so, as they were in no condition to move anywhere else – and rushed back to the camp. He encountered Mary again, holding the remaining six men using six tentacles.

 _Got them all!_ Mary said. _And I set fire to a few dozen tents, to keep them distracted!_

 _Alright, now we just need to –_ Heinrich said.

There was a roar of unbridled rage, and another wave of magic swept over the camp, this one giving off the same feeling as the one Heinrich had used to dispel Heinrich's wind cloak.

"It can't be – Thalia already broke free!?" Mary gasped out loud. "I knew she'd break out sooner than the others, but – "

"What should we do, we can't escape like this!" Heinrich said.

"We don't have a choice, now we have to fight!" Mary replied. "If we can kill Thalia, the others should be scared and run!"

It was a good plan, at least in theory. Monsters in general obeyed strength, and this was especially true for the traditional ones. With their strongest fighter gone, the rest should decide to flee… though people were not always predictable, regardless of whether they were humans or monsters. It was also possible that Thalia's subordinates would continue fighting, and with greater ferocity to avenge their leader. And, of course, killing the head of the Nereneid family was easier said than done.

Mary set down the men at a safe distance from the camp and then pulled out her staff. She and Heinrich turned back, ready for war.

The two of them walked forward inexorably. The monsters of the Nereneid faction assaulted them from all directions: harpies and succubi swooped down from the dark sky; insects and land-dwellers rose up from the ground in an attempt to take them by surprise; the rest charged at them, heedless of the tents they crushed in their path. None succeeded.

The majority fell victim to Mary's magic: incinerated by fireballs, impaled by spears of ice, electrocuted by lightning bolts. Any that stayed at a distance were prioritised and killed before they could finish casting a single spell. The few that were agile enough to avoid these attacks or durable enough to survive being hit instead fell to Heinrich's sword. While Heinrich might not have been the strongest or the fastest on this battlefield, he was still stronger and faster than most, and this was reinforced by his training and experience. His sword, made of meteoric metal, cleaved through the flesh of even these high-ranking monsters with little resistance.

Unsurprisingly, it didn't take long before the attacking monsters lost their nerve and fled, unwilling to continue fighting this unstoppable whirlwind of death.

As they approached the centre of the camp, purple vines began to spread out from it, with such speed that they pierced through the tents like paper. The few monsters who hadn't already fled did so at the sight of these vines, clearly fearing their own mistress' wrath as much as they did the intruders.

"I know who you are – do you think you can hide from me, Fateburn!" Thalia shouted.

"I wasn't expecting her to figure it out – I thought my disguise was perfect," Mary said casually.

"How much contact did you have with her before?" Heinrich asked.

"Almost none, really," Mary said. "There was one brief conversation, and I couple of times I saw her from afar, but – "

Thalia charged at them, her lower body expanded to immense proportions, swinging her vines like colossal whips. Mary unleashed a jet of blue flame at her, while Heinrich dashed to the side, planning on attacking Thalia from behind while she was disoriented from Mary's flame. However, one of Thalia's vines struck Heinrich, knocking him through several tents.

Heinrich jumped to his feet and saw that Mary was bound in Thalia's vines.

-ooo-

The strength in these vines was incredible, Mary thought to herself. She now understood better why the Nereneids were able to almost openly defy the Monster Lord. Thankfully, Heinrich wasn't badly injured and Mary sent him a warning to stay away until he saw an opportunity to strike.

"Cease this ridiculous attempt at a disguise – I know the stench that your family gives off," Thalia said. "You're her idiot of a daughter, the one who still plays with children's toys."

Mary's own body expanded greatly, tearing apart the vines. In her true form, Mary slithered backwards, saying, "Actually, I haven't played with them in quite a while. Beary must really be missing me – "

"You think that all this is a joke?" Thalia growled. "You think you can just waltz into my home, steal my property, kill my followers, and laugh it off?"

"You're mistaken on two things," Mary replied. "First, I didn't 'steal' anything, because people aren't _property_. Second, nobody's laughing."

Mary thrust her staff fire, shooting from the tip a thin jet of flame that was far more concentrated than the previous one. It was an attack that could have pierced through several metres of solid rock.

Thalia crossed her arms, forming a shield of transparent blue energy that successfully deflected the flame.

 _…Okay, she's a lot better than I expected,_ Mary thought. _But is she as skilled at blocking physical attacks?_

Mary transformed the tips of her tentacles into spikes of hardened bone, then used them to assault Thalia from more than a dozen directions simultaneously.

In response, Thalia split up her vines until there were five of them for every one of Mary's tentacles.

 _What the – how is that even - !?_

Mary didn't have time to react. Thalia's vines bound her once more – but she noticed that only a fraction of them were actually solid. The rest dispersed into purple mist the moment they touched her. She only had a fraction of a second to realise that this was an illusion, for Thalia proceeded to toss her around like a ragdoll, slamming her into the ground repeatedly.

To add insult to considerable injury, Thalia was far from silent while she administered this beating.

"You're even more foolish as your mother! You think yourself invincible all because of your birth, but against one with experience in true battles, you are no more than a child! Perish!"

Thalia coiled together several of her vines to create an improvised club, bigger than a tree trunk, and swung it down at Mary. She was so committed to this attack that she wasn't able to dodge the supercharged lightning bolt that Mary aimed at her face. The lightning didn't do more than slightly burn her face, but it provided enough of an opening for Mary to escape her grasp.

 _Someone experienced in battle wouldn't talk so much that they let down their guard,_ Mary thought.

Thalia's next move was an earth spell that caused hundreds of stone spikes to erupt from the ground. Mary was able to predict this by reading the flow of mana, allowing her to change her rear tentacles into a pair of immense wings and take to the air.

 _If an attack concentrated on a single point can't break through, then how about this?_

Mary cast Omega Blaze, filling the area around Thalia with a sea of raging fire. This wouldn't be intense enough to kill her on its own, but it would flow around any shield she put up and keep her busy so that Mary could ready the finishing blow.

Or so she thought. In fact, Thalia didn't create a shield or even attempt to cover her face from the heat. She instead remained in her usual posture, as though the high-level fire spell was nothing more than a breath of warm air.

"Did you think you could burn me easily because of my plant affinity?" Thalia said mockingly. "As if those pathetic sparks would burn me!"

Mary sensed a massive concentration of dark energy accumulating within Thalia. She had experienced the exact same feeling on one occasion, five years ago… but it was something she would never be able to forget. Alarmed, she quickly cast a barrage of spells in an attempt to interrupt Thalia, but it was no use.

"Monster Lord's Cruelty!"

The space around Thalia shattered like thin glass. From the resulting holes, four serpents emerged, their bodies made from a darkness seemed to drink in the light of the fires, a darkness that overpowered the night sky. Heedless of gravity, the serpents rushed up towards Mary.

 _From what I remember, there's no way to escape this – the only solution is to block them! But even that's easier said than done – but I have to try!_

One by one, Mary fired three fireballs that were each bigger than a man was tall. She couldn't afford to conserve mana, as significant power was needed to stop this legendary spell. Three of the dark serpents were struck by the fireballs, resulting in mutual annihilation. However, Mary didn't have time to intercept the fourth serpent in the same way. She was forced to cover herself with her wings, transformed into plates of solid bone, as an improvised shield.

The serpent struck, biting through the wings with ease, and Mary couldn't stop herself from screaming. Even though she had removed all nerve endings from her wings, she still suffered unbearable agony from the death magic that accompanied this spell. Unable to sustain the wind magic keeping her in the air, she plummeted to the ground. A triumphant Thalia approached her.

"I spent _decades_ searching for something, anything, that would let me overthrow your family," Thalia said. "I travelled to distant lands beyond the sea, caves deep beneath the surface of the earth, chasing after the slightest rumours of power. And in the end, I found it. Did you really think your family was the only one who could use Monster Lord's Cruelty? Don't make me laugh! All it took was – "

At that moment, Heinrich leapt at Thalia and severed her head with a single swing of his sword.

-ooo-

As Thalia's body slumped to the ground, Heinrich exhaled to let out the tension in his body. After receiving Mary's warning, he had put up his wind cloak and spent the past minute hiding. It had been difficult to find an opening, due to all of the powerful spells being thrown around, but Thalia had just given him one and he exploited it.

Heinrich rushed over to Mary, asking, "Are you alright? Your wings – "

"I'm fine, thanks," Mary said, though her face was visibly strained. "It should only take me a few days, a week at most, to regrow these. Anyway, we'd better go check on – watch out!"

Mary pushed Heinrich away and changed into her human form, causing the bombardment of icicles to narrowly miss the two of them. Heinrich turned to see that Thalia was not dead after all and her head was reattached – though there was a large scar running all around her neck.

"If your opponent was anyone else, that would have killed them – I'll conceded that much," Thalia said. "It seems I underestimated you for being a human. But you have no chance of prevailing against me!"

 _Dammit, why won't she die!_ Mary thought, while dodging Thalia's attacks. _Is this another one of those tricks she learned in her travels?_

 _Do you have any ideas?_ Heinrich asked, ducking low to avoid the whipping vines.

 _…I have one, but it'll take a lot of time for me to set up,_ Mary said. _You'll have to –_

 _Got it!_

Heinrich charged at Thalia, cutting through vines with his sword, blocking spells using shields of compacted earth, keeping away toxic gases with his barrier of wind. He reached melee range and began a constant barrage of lightning-fast strikes. Thalia hardened her forearms into a substance resembling petrified wood and skilfully deflected Heinrich's strikes, though the orichalcum blade still left scratches.

This exchange of blows lasted for not much more than ten seconds, but it was the most exhausting time of Heinrich's life. Thalia's sheer strength meant that every clash of his sword on her arms felt like he was hitting a boulder, even with Gnome's reinforcement. And she was fast, too, something that was only exacerbated by her vines allowing her to attack multiple times at once. Heinrich's armour proved to be effective, but he still accumulated cuts and scrapes to the parts of his body not protected.

On the other hand, Thalia wasn't in optimal condition, either. Being hit by Mary's attacks had left its mark, even if she pretended not to show it. She was also breathing more heavily now than before using Monster Lord's Cruelty, due to dark magic draining life force in addition to mana. If it wasn't for this, Heinrich doubted he would have lasted more than a couple of seconds.

Finally, Heinrich heard the words he'd been waiting for: _I'm ready, get back!_

Now Heinrich had the difficult task of immobilising Thalia for just a couple of seconds. He manipulated the earth underneath her, making it have the consistency of thick soup. Thalia immediately acted to reverse this – so she was unable to stop Heinrich from removing all of the oxygen from her surroundings. She doubled over and gasped, giving Heinrich the chance to flee to a safe distance.

 _Even the strongest of monsters can't escape the need to breathe,_ Heinrich thought, remembering one of Mary's lessons. _If anything, they are more vulnerable due to having larger bodies that need more energy. Though they usually need to be distracted first for it to work._

Thalia managed to escape the oxygen-deprived zone, only to look up at the sky in shock. And Heinrich couldn't blame her, as it was a great shock to him as well.

Floating in mid-air was a colossal bird of prey, big enough to pluck a mansion from the earth and carry it away in its talons. Its body consisted entirely of searing orange flame, causing it to resemble an artificial sun. Its wings were unmoving yet it still remained aloft, as though gravity was only a concern for lesser beings.

"Take flight, wings of undying flame, and annihilate my foes! Kaiser Phoenix!" Mary yelled.

The phoenix let out a hunting call, and swooped down towards Thalia Nereneid.

Heinrich spotted Mary collapsing, so he rushed over, picked her up and hurried away as fast as possible. The explosion was still so powerful that, even with the distance between him and the epicentre, he was sent flying by the shockwave. But despite being deafened and burned by the explosion, Heinrich refused to stop or let go of Mary. He landed on his feet and continued running, only stopping when he exited the camp and reached a safe distance.

Setting Mary down, Heinrich turned to look at the devastation. The entire camp was burning with a raging fire, though it lasted for less than a minute. When the fire finally ran out of fuel, Heinrich saw that there was a huge crater at the centre. Moreover, the surface of the crater was not sand or soil but sparkling glass.

Mary stirred feebly. Heinrich bent down to check on her condition. She didn't have any serious wounds, as far as he could tell. The cause of her collapse must have been total mana depletion from casting a spell of such mind-numbing power.

"Damn… that was kind of excessive, wasn't it," Mary said. Heinrich had to read the movement of her lips and pay attention to context to deduce what she was saying.

Heinrich chuckled weakly. "Well, at least we don't have to worry about her getting back up after this."

After Mary had recovered enough to walk, the two of them headed over to check up on the men they had rescued from hell.

They found the men huddled together on the lee side of a hill. From Heinrich's sense of the wind, they were experiencing a mix of emotions: disgust over their experience in captivity, fear of the battle that had just destroyed the entire Nereneid camp, discomfort because of being in the middle of a cold wilderness, and a faint glimmer of hope.

Heinrich and Mary quickly set about caring for the men. Heinrich helped them get dressed in clothes taken out from Mary's cabinet, while Mary used the trickle of mana she had regained to start a fire – even though the men had only been left alone for around ten minutes, that was ten minutes in a desert during a winter night with no clothing to protect them. Then, since the men were as emaciated as if they'd been starved for weeks, they gave them small portions of food and water – large portions would only strain their weakened bodies. They checked the men for any other illnesses or injuries. Eventually, they determined that none of the men were in danger of dying.

One of the men addressed said to Mary, "You… from what I saw before, you're a monster?"

"Yes, that's right?" Mary said.

The man lowered his eyes. "The truth is… well, it's hard to admit, but I used to dislike monsters… I kept it inside… otherwise I wouldn't be able to work outside of Noah… but now I – "

"You, you don't have to – " Mary protested.

"No, I do," the man insisted.

The man lowered his head, followed shortly after by the other seven. Mary waved her hands frantically, unable to say anything in response. Heinrich couldn't help but chuckle.

After the issue of gratitude was resolved, they decided to head back to Grangold once the sun rose.

-ooo-

At around midday, Eremia the Mantis Girl returned to the ruins of the camp, along with several of her companions. Though if she were to be honest, they were barely recognisable as the ruins of anything. The ashes of the tents and the dead had already blown away in the wind, leaving only the crater behind – and most would mistake it for the crater left by a meteor, not thinking that such destruction could be caused by a single spell.

"Damn them," Eremia said, gritting her teeth in frustration. "I can't believe we lost to just two people."

"What can we do now?" asked Stheno, a Medusa.

"We'll have to find a group that shares our interests and hope they'll let us join them," Eremia replied. "It shouldn't be that difficult, there are plenty of monsters who hate the current Monster Lord. It's no wonder – if their family hadn't betrayed the Nereneids, then – "

"Oh? That's not how I remember it."

The monsters rapidly turned towards the source of the voice, unnerved by the fact that they couldn't sense someone else approaching. The newcomer was…a human woman, dressed in travelling clothes and a blue cloak with a hood that concealed her face.

"I didn't pay that much attention at the time, but the way I remember it, the Nereneids were the one doing the betraying," the woman said, with a casual expression that didn't belong on a human surrounded by fearsome monsters. "They disagreed with the Monster Lord of the time, Alice the Third, over her policies regarding humans, so the Monster Lord invited them to a conference to discuss the whole thing. Anyway, the Nereneid family head of that time tried attacking her by surprise, so Alice the Third fought back and killed her. Really, she should have just done that at the start." The woman stopped, then smiled. "Come to think of it, isn't the philosophy your sort follow 'only those who are the strongest are fit to lead', or something like that? By that logic, didn't she prove herself unfit to lead?"

"Whoever you are, I don't care! I won't let you spew such nonsense in front of me!" Eremia shouted, swinging one of her scythe arms at the woman with enough force to cut through a thick tree.

The woman stopped the scythe with one arm and, without showing the slightest sign of effort, continued, "So they didn't tell you the truth? Well, that's only natural – the truth rarely gets you support, after all. I guess that's one of the similarities between your kind and mine."

Eremia's companions attacked the strange woman, with razor-sharp claws, whip-like vines, and petrifying gaze. None of it worked. The woman grabbed the vines and used them to throw their owner at another monster, and Stheno's gaze had absolutely no effect. All the while, she maintained her grip on Emeria's scythe arm and continued talking.

"The old bitch never reveals anything more than a tiny fraction of what she's done to her humans, and that's when she doesn't lie outright, which is pretty common. Nor does she reveal what she _still_ does to them, well, gets her 'beloved daughters' to do to them. You know, just recently she made me – "

Eremia vibrated her wings, created a sound that would have shredded the ears of a normal human, and at the same time swung her other scythe arm at the woman. This wasn't just ineffective, it actually made the situation worse.

"Come on, didn't your mother ever tell you not to interrupt people when they're talking?" the woman said, and she ripped off Eremia's arms. " _Mine_ certainly did…"

While Eremia writhed on the ground, her shoulder stumps bleeding profusely, her companions attempted to flee. The Mantis Girl couldn't blame them; she would have done the same in their situation.

Unfortunately, this was not an enemy they could escape. Something that Eremia realised shortly before her own agonising demise.

-ooo-

Lucifina conjured up water to wash the blood off her hands. She couldn't help but sigh in boredom.

 _It's odd,_ she thought. _Taking apart some nice screaming bodies with my bare hands_ usually _cheers me up, when all else fails. Why didn't it work this time? Was it because they didn't offer any challenge? The monsters back in the old days were actually impressive, able to keep fighting even with multiple limbs missing… though maybe my perspective's skewed, considering the kinds of opponents I was sent out to fight. Hmm… or was it the work I had to do before this?_

 _Yeah, that must be it. That kind of crap is always so boring that it makes me want to rip my skin off to make things interesting. Thanks to that, I missed seeing the brat getting caught by those three. That might have been interesting… I could have gone in and finished them off once and for all… would need to knock him out first, to keep him from seeing anything, but it would work…_

Lucifina kicked a pebble lying on the ground, with such speed that the pebble shot forward until it shattered to dust against a boulder.

 _Argh, why did Ilias have to send me on that stupid side mission? I mean, I get_ why _she did it, but why did it have to be me? And because she picked me, I ended up being reminded of just how ridiculously vain she is: Ilias continent, Iliasburg, Iliasport, Iliasville and its Ilias Temple – seriously, how has her head not exploded already!?_

However, no amount of complaining would change Lucifina's situation. After burning the bodies to dispose of the evidence, the murderous angel started running towards Grangold.


	23. Chapter 22: Setting Sun

On the first day of spring, they arrived at Gold Coast. The place was aptly named, being a stretch of golden sand that shone joyfully under the morning sun. An endless succession of waves lapped gently at the edge of the sand. The air was cold – even if it was a spring morning, this was still on the northern coast of Sentora – but it was a splendid picture regardless.

Mary and Heinrich found a secluded spot that was surrounded on three sides by dunes, leaving one side open to the sea. They sat down and the two spirits popped out of Heinrich's head. Sylph started freely rampaging with the wind, kicking up a small sand-filled tornado, which Gnome put a stop to by burying the wind spirit.

The journey here had been quite eventful. After returning to Grangold with the captured men, they had decided to go to Gold Volcano first so that Heinrich could make his third contract with a spirit. This hadn't exactly gone as planned…

-ooo-

Gold Volcano was located in a mountain range to the west of Grangold. A long-standing joke among the locals was that visitors should avoid getting their hopes up, as it was neither a mountain of gold nor did it erupt with the precious metal.

Anyway, the volcano was well-known as the residence of Salamander, and many people came here in an attempt to gain the fire spirit's power, some from as far as the Ilias continent. Most were forced to turn back, for Salamander resided at the depths of the volcano, a place filled with a heat that even most monsters couldn't stand. And of the few who could reach Salamander, an even smaller fraction was capable of passing her demanding test of worthiness.

Despite this reputation, Heinrich wanted to give it a try and the other three agreed with him. He had already mastered the power of two spirits to a level that nobody had ever attained before. Moreover, his mastery over wind and earth should allow him to withstand the intense heat of the volcano.

After just over an hour of leisurely flight, they arrived at the volcano. It was notably taller than any of the surrounding mountains, with a faint trail of smoke drifting from the crater at the summit. The slopes of the mountain were covered in green grass and low trees and shrubs – if Mary remembered correctly, this was because of volcanic soil being extremely fertile compared to normal soil, allowing plants to rapidly regrow after eruptions.

"This is the first time visiting a real, active volcano," Heinrich said. "I've heard about them a lot in stories – they're often used as the sites of climactic battles – but I'm sure it'll be a completely different experience in person."

"It's actually my first time too," Mary said. "There's a few extinct or dormant volcanoes on Hellgondo, but there's nothing interesting about them except for some hot springs near them."

After circling around the volcano, Mary spotted the entrances to several caves on its slopes.

"Hey, should we go in from one of them?" Mary asked.

"Well, our destination is supposedly at the bottom, so in theory it would be better to start further down," Heinrich replied. "Though from what we heard, past challengers tried various ways to get in, from either the summit and from the caves, and they weren't really that different."

"Hmmm… the summit it is, then!" Mary said. "Might as well go via the most interesting route!"

Mary touched down at the edge of the summit crater and put Heinrich down. There were toxic gases in the air here, forcing Heinrich to constantly purify the air around them. Looking over the edge, they saw that the crater led to an extremely deep vent, at least two kilometres deep, with the orange glow of lava at the bottom. There was a staircase carved into the side of the vent, though it was rough, steep and so narrow that people would need to walk down it in single file, and even then there was the risk of falling over the edge.

The two of them began to descend. Their superhuman abilities allowed them to proceed quickly, jumping and sliding down the walls of the vent.

When they were about halfway down, they felt the first tremor.

"That – was that what I think it is?" Mary asked.

"I felt it too – don't tell me that this place is going to – " Heinrich said.

Mary thought back on what she had heard from the various people living around this region. The eruptions of Gold Volcano were infamously unpredictable, seemingly being dependent on Salamander's whims. The only thing that was consistent about them was the devastation they wrought on the surrounding landscape. It was for this reason that the nearest village to the volcano was over five kilometres away.

"It might be a sign that it's going to erupt – or maybe this is part of the test?" Mary said. "A test of bravery does seem fit with what we've heard about her."

"Let's keep going for now," Heinrich said. "In the worst case scenario, we should be able to escape in time."

They continued their descent. The temperature increased to the point that water would boil in seconds, though this was still within their tolerances, and the tremors grew stronger and more frequent. They didn't stop until, roughly two-thirds of the way down, they encountered another person.

Nestled in a hole in the side of the vent was a large blob of what initially looked like viscous magma. On closer inspection, the magma had a woman's body poking out from the top, and in turn this body was made of orange slime and had a raging fire for hair. This was a Lava Girl, a rare type of high-ranking slime who only lived in active volcanoes.

"Huh, you're…" the Lava Girl said, when she noticed Mary and Heinrich approaching. "What are you doing here!?"

"We're here to meet with Salamander – " Heinrich began.

"You have to get out of here!" the Lava Girl said. "The volcano will erupt any minute now!"

Mary immediately spread her wings and grabbed onto Heinrich. In hindsight, they should have turned back at the first tremor.

"But what about you?" Heinrich asked.

"I'll be fine, it's like a hot bath to me, now go!" the Lava Girl shouted desperately.

Mary took off and ascended rapidly. A rumbling sound, greater than the fiercest thunder, resounded through the volcano. Looking down, she saw that the magma was rising rapidly. She reached the top of the volcano and began flying away horizontally.

A few seconds later, Gold Volcano erupted, producing a sound like the bellow of an angry earth god. A few pieces of rock pelted them, though it wasn't enough to cause any serious injury. Only when she'd reached a safe distance did Mary stop and turn around.

It was a sight that none could forget. Discoloured smoke billowed from the summit of the volcano, giving the appearance of an immense thundercloud that had descended to meet the earth. Lava flowed from both the summit and from smaller openings on the slopes of the volcano, burning and engulfing the vegetation. As they watched, the volcano erupted again with explosive force, spraying ash and lava into the air. The droplets of lava cooled as they fell, with some solidifying to rock by the time they hit the ground.

And it did not stop there. Gold Volcano erupted again and again, with intervals of several minutes in between each burst. The strength of the eruptions was not always consistent: a weak eruption that produced little ejecta was immediately followed by a powerful blast that sent lava flying high into the air, forcing Mary to move even further away to be safe.

By the time the eruptions subsided, the slopes of Gold Volcano were almost entirely covered in incandescent lava. The older lava towards the bottom had begun to cool into dark basalt.

-ooo-

"Now that I think about it, that was really reckless of us," Mary said.

"Yeah, Gnome scolded me for a long time after that," Heinrich said. "She reminded me that the power of the earth isn't enough to protect against the heat of lava, at least not with my current level of skill."

"That's not surprising, lava's so dangerous that even monsters who are normally resistant to fire and heat are warned to be careful around it," Mary said. "It's not so much that it's hotter than fire, the problem is that it sticks to your body and keeps on burning away."

After that incident, they had decided to skip Gold Volcano and Salamander for now. According to the locals, the volcano remained dangerous for some time after an eruption. It wasn't as though they were in a hurry, anyway; Heinrich was already unusual in being a master of two spirits, having three or even the unattained four would be a feat worthy of a hero of legend.

The two of them watched Sylph and Gnome play around for a while. Then Heinrich glanced up at the sky and said it was time to start preparing lunch. During these preparations, they reminisced about what had happened after Gold Volcano.

-ooo-

A few days after the failed visit to Gold Volcano, the two of them had gone to Gold Port. There was less traffic going through this port than usual. This was due to the icebergs that floated in the winter seas, acting as a hazard that few ship captains dared to risk. Despite this, people from all around the world still passed through, bringing with them all kinds of rumours and gossip.

Of course, not all of the rumours were equally plausible. There were many, like the one about the fallen angel that enjoyed killing people and bathing in their blood, that were clearly just wild stories that people made up to attract attention. On the other hand, some of the rumours were deeply concerning to all who heard them.

In the Gold region itself, there was the recent activity among the arachne clan. The spider monsters were individually more powerful than the average monster, with great strength, sturdy exoskeletons and magical skill, so any gathering of them tended to draw attention. And this was a gathering on a scale not seen in centuries, with dozens of arachnes coming in from all over the world. This was due to the death of the previous Queen Spider, which forced the race to select their new leader. The exact location of the gathering was unclear: it was somewhere in the mountains on the southeast edge of Gold, but no non-arachne dared to approach the area.

Likewise, there were gatherings of desert monsters at points all over Safina. This was even more unusual, since the scarcity of resources in the desert meant that even monsters of the same race rarely banded together, and yet monsters were apparently forming groups without regard to race at all. The cause of this was clear: the mysterious death of an enormous and ancient Sandworm Girl. This fact was now known all over the region, along with the fact that the Sandworm Girl was the culprit behind the recent water shortage. It wasn't clear what these groups of desert monsters were planning, since they chased off any civilised person who approached them – though this behaviour spoke volumes on its own.

In Noah, the survivors of the men who had been kidnapped by insect slavers had returned to Grand Noah. Shortly after this, Plansect Village had completely cut off all trade and communications with the outside world. The combination of these two events had led Grand Noah to be on its maximum state of alert. The city's ruler had decreed that the guard be doubled, an order that would have required conscription if there weren't hundreds of citizens enthusiastically volunteering for the job.

The Ilias continent was the greatest mystery of all, with a veritable sea of confusing rumours swirling around it. Some claimed that monsters had begun attacking humans, devouring and razing entire villages, forcing the humans to take up arms and fight back. Others claimed that this was a pretext used to justify attacking the monsters, driven by church fanatics who clung to the literal word of Ilias. Still others claimed that this was the work of a third party, trying to stir up conflict between the two races for their own purposes – though there were half a dozen guesses as to what those might be. And then there were those who claimed that there was no conflict, that these rumours had been deliberately spread in some bizarre plan to attract more pilgrims to the continent.

The Natalia region was an island of relative stability amidst all this chaos, even though its capital had suffered from plague not that long ago. People flocked here in the hopes of finding some measure of peace. Of course, this sudden influx of people created its own problems, but even so the region was better off than any of the others.

Suffice to say, the world was in a state of uncertainty. If the Goddess Ilias were to descend tomorrow and declare that all monsters be wiped out, few would be surprised. The people of Gold Port were just as worried as those elsewhere. Some wondered if, when trade picked up again in the warmer months, the ships that had once carried food and clothing would begin carrying weapons and armour.

-ooo-

Mary stopped chewing her food. Thinking about this topic had removed her ability to enjoy even this simple pleasure.

"There's so much going on everywhere, it's hard to keep track of it all," Heinrich said, eyes downcast. "Sometimes, I wonder if – if what we did was the right thing."

"A year ago, I would have had trouble answering that question," Mary said. "Now… it's still a difficult question, but I _can_ answer it. It was the right thing to do. Even if there were unexpected consequences, what about the consequences of _not_ doing anything?"

Heinrich smiled a little. "That is a good point. With that kind of thinking, it would be impossible to decide on anything."

The two of them finished lunch – Sylph had already finished so that she'd have more time to play, and Gnome had finished soon after to keep her under control – and resumed watching the sea.

"Though there's still two problems: how to deal with the consequences, and how to stop them from happening in the future," Heinrich said.

"That's something I've been thinking about," Mary said. "For now, nothing major should happen. I know that my mother will do her utmost to keep things stable, and the monster Queens will – generally – follow her. I can't be sure about the human rulers, but they should also do their best to avoid war, even if it's just for pragmatic reasons – war is expensive, after all. To properly settle things, I'll need to go back home and talk to my mother and sister in person."

"Come to think of it, when was the last time you contacted them?" Heinrich asked.

"Two weeks ago," Mary said. "Mother was pretty angry about me getting into a fight with a Nereneid, but I could also tell she was a bit relieved that a persistent thorn in her side had been taken care of."

"Well, that's good at least… but didn't you have to contact her at least once a week?" Heinrich asked.

"The last time, she said she was busy lately and that she wouldn't be able to talk as much." Mary said. Then she shook her head and added, "Anyway, we can't do anything about this right now, so we shouldn't worry about it! Say, why don't you tell me what you've been working on all this time?"

Heinrich flinched at the sudden change in subject. Reaching a hand into his pack, he said, "Well, I guess it would be a good idea to talk about something else. But, um…"

"Is it not complete yet?" Mary asked. "That's fine, you can show me what you have so far."

"Actually… it's already complete, I just couldn't find the opportunity to show it to you," Heinrich said, gulping. "It's… this."

Heinrich pulled out a wooden object from his pocket. It was a ring and, when Heinrich handed it over for Mary to take a closer look, she realised that it was more than just a simple wooden band. The surface was carved with countless tiny inscriptions, so tiny and so crammed together that it was almost impossible to make out any individual one.

There was a four-legged animal with nine long tails. While there were a few beings and creatures who possessed more than one tail, only one diminutive kitsune possessed nine.

There was a humanoid outline, one with long hair, a dress and four tiny wings. Mary recognised it as something that a certain wind spirit liked to draw whenever she had the chance, calling it a picture of herself.

There was a single character in an almost-extinct language, one that used simplified pictures of what the characters represented. The interior surfaces of the Pyramid had been filled with this language.

There was an immense bird of prey, with the sharp beak and talons that characterised its kind, and a silhouette that resembled flames more than feathers.

Each inscription represented a person, location or event in the journey they had made over the past ten months. Some had obvious meanings, while others were more obscure: it took Mary a few seconds to realise that a ring with a fuzzy outline was meant to be a certain seafood dish made from squid, which in turn represented the Kraken that she had killed using lightning during their trip from Port Natalia to Port Safina. Regardless, it seemed that everything they had experienced together, no matter how minor, had been represented. There had to be more than a hundred – more than two hundred inscriptions in total.

"How… how long did it take you to make this?" Mary asked, stunned in disbelief. "No, _how_ did you even make something like this!?"

"I started when I first got the idea all the way back in Sabasa," Heinrich replied. "It's – it's based on their tradition of couples exchanging rings to celebrate their relationship. I wanted to make this something personal, so I – I tried making it out of the wood I was already working with, and also wanted to add in something that would represent our time together – but I couldn't think of any one thing that fit." He took a deep breath and continued, "But in Grangold I asked an expert and she gave me the idea of adding inscriptions for many things at once, so that's what I did. A steel knife was no longer enough, so I used Gnome's power to control diamond powder to make the inscriptions."

Mary turned the ring over in her hand several times. It was made of a simple material and didn't have even the slightest enchantment on it, but in her eyes it seemed more valuable than any ancient artefact. She slipped it on to the fourth finger of her left hand, which was where it was supposed to be worn from what she'd seen in Sabasa. It fit perfectly.

"I'm making one as well!" Mary declared.

"Wait, you don't have to – " Heinrich said.

"The tradition is that the couple _exchange_ rings, right?" Mary said. "Then I need to give you one as well! I can't make the exact same thing, but I should be able to do this…"

Mary took up a small handful of sand.

 _I've never tried something like this before – well, there's a first time for everything!_

Focusing mana with pinpoint precision, Mary began the slow process of fusing the sand grains together with earth magic. It was a far more difficult task than simply using heat to melt them. Even the slightest mistake could lead to serious imperfections in the final product. All the while, she had to make sure that it would fit Heinrich's finger properly. After thirty tense seconds, she inspected her handiwork.

 _Not good at all_ , Mary thought. _It's too cloudy and the surface isn't smooth enough for proper jewellery. If I tried selling this in a market stall, no one would ever buy it._

Before Mary could destroy the ring and try again, Heinrich plucked it out of her hand. He casually put it on.

"Wait, I haven't finished yet!" Mary protested.

"If I just wanted a perfect quartz ring, I'd buy one," Heinrich said. "This is something that you made, that's the important part."

Mary turned her head in a completely futile effort to hide her blushing face. As a result, she noticed that Sylph and Gnome were no longer present. It was easy to deduce why they had left.

"You know… I think we can do more to celebrate this occasion…" Mary said, her voice turning sultry.

"What do you – oh," Heinrich said.

Mary extended her tentacles.

-ooo-

The sun began to set. The wind began to gain in strength.

Mary was lying down drowsily on a mat of hastily discarded clothing, Heinrich intertwined with her. The two of them watched the red light dancing across the crests of the waves.

 _I know I've said this too many times, but a year ago I would never have imagined myself in this situation,_ Mary said telepathically, unable to work up the energy to move her lips.

 _Me too,_ Heinrich replied. _I would still be swinging a sword around wildly, with no actual plan about how to get anywhere. It's thanks to you that I got the chance to see what the world is really like._

Mary fidgeted, slightly embarrassed. _Well, now it's time for me to come home, and this time I'm bringing you with me! It's a rough flight there, but I'm sure you'll be fine! I'll introduce you to all of my friends, and show you the sights – Hellgondo might be the coldest and most barren continent, but there's still plenty of nice places to see, even outside of Remina – speaking of which –_

 _We need to settle the issue with Edina,_ Heinrich said.

 _That's right,_ Mary said. _It's something that we'll need to discuss in person. She's told me she's already returned to Hellgondo. I have a feeling mother would see this as an opportunity to propose a marriage alliance with Remina, using the three of us. It's one of the oldest ways of forming alliances, and it tends to turn out better when it aligns with the feelings of the people involved. I'm alright with it, Edina certainly is, but what about you?_

 _It's something I still find a little weird, being a commoner who's not only marrying into royalty, but a three-way marriage at that… it's not a completely unknown idea, I've heard about it being done by kings in the old days, but I certainly never thought of it happening to me,_ Heinrich said.

 _To be clear, you don't have to go along with this,_ Mary said. _I won't let anyone else force you into –_

 _It's alright, I've made my decision,_ Heinrich said. _I haven't known Edina as long as you've known her, or even as long as I've long as I've known you, but from that short time I think she's a great person. I'd have to spend more time with her to be sure, but… I'm okay with that kind of future._

 _Yippee!_ Mary said, pulling Heinrich into a hug that would be bone-breaking for someone without the power of the earth. _You know, I actually used to joke that Edina and I would end up marrying the same person, but I never thought that would actually end up happening!_

 _A – Anyway, speaking of your family,_ Heinrich said, looking embarrassed. _I think you should improve your relationship with them. I'll do my best to help you with that._

 _…If you say so,_ Mary said, unable to hide her reluctance. _I may as well contact them now, make sure they're ready for when we arrive tomorrow._

Standing up, Mary pictured her mother's face in her mind and gathered dark energy. She wasn't able to make contact even after several attempts. Most likely, her mother was busy right now and hence blocking out any telepathy.

Suddenly, Mary felt someone trying to form a telepathic link with her. She recognised the sensation of her sister's mind and accepted it.

 _I know it's been a long time since we last spoke,_ Mary said, cutting off her sister's first words. _And this isn't any more pleasant for me than it is for you, but let's put that aside from now. I'm finally coming home._

 _Mother is dead,_ Dinah said bluntly.

Mary blinked, then laughed. She laughed with all of her strength, to the point of unnerving Heinrich and causing the two spirits to come back to see what was happening.

 _I never knew you were capable of making a joke, but it seems you had it in you after all,_ Mary said.

 _It's true!_ Dinah shouted. _I woke up this morning to find the castle in an uproar and mother dead in her room! Do you think I would ever joke about that!?_

Mary collapsed. Heinrich and the spirits rushed to hold her up, tried asking her what was wrong, but she couldn't hear their words.

 _It's true…? But how!?_ Mary asked. _She's the Monster Lord, the strongest monster in the world!_

 _Poison,_ Dinah said, spitting out the word. _It was administered to her in her sleep. She has no external wounds, but her internal organs are… I can't say it. Regardless, the damage is consistent with that caused by Reaper's Cone, a rare type of cone snail found in the North Sea._

Mary couldn't say anything. She could only listen as the facts were revealed.

 _After investigating, we found that only one person had entered mother's room during the night,_ Dinah continued. _One of mother's personal servants, a human woman named Karen. She was one of the few people able to pass through the wards on the door… When we searched for her, we found her dead in her room, having committed suicide with her own dose of poison. Then we searched her body and her room… and found several things indicating faith in Ilias._

These words caused a maelstrom of thoughts to swirl in Mary's head. But the experience she had gained over this journey allowed her to restrain her emotions, and she considered this new information carefully.

 _This has to be a trick,_ Mary declared. _The poison used is something that a human would almost never be able to access, but a sea monster could get it easily. Some monsters in the castle, mother's political enemies most likely, must have brainwashed this poor woman, given her the poison, and planted the evidence!_

 _That's my conclusion as well,_ Dinah said ruefully. _But those same enemies have taken advantage of the situation to gather public sentiment to their side. Mother was liked by most, and they've taken that emotion and twisted it to hatred. You see, Karen had coincidentally left Hellgondo a few months ago to visit relatives in the Natalia region, and they argue that Ilias' church used this opportunity to indoctrinate her into becoming an assassin. They want – they want us to declare war on humanity, to conquer them and make them our slaves._

 _How – that doesn't make any sense!_ Mary said. _We literally wouldn't be able to exist without humans. And there are countless monsters who live with them, who are more loyal to the human rulers than they are to the Monster Lord!_

 _I know, and their official rhetoric is more restrained,_ Dinah said. _But from their past behaviour and the kinds of people they associate with, it's clear what their intentions are. They can't accept a world where humans are not subordinate to monsters._

 _You… You have to do something about –_

 _I've tried,_ Dinah said. _I've been working nonstop all day trying to stem the tide, that's why I couldn't contact you until now. But the ones I'm fighting against have plenty of experience and connections on their side, as well as the drive to succeed. You may have killed Thalia Nereneid earlier, but she has two younger sisters, one of whom, Rhea, is at the castle right now, and she's thirsting for revenge. But the worst part is the chaos created by the lack of a clear leader. I might be the daughter of the former Monster Lord, but I'm only her second daughter, my status is barely any higher than that of the other nobles. And you, her first daughter, are believed to be running around the country playing around._

 _But that means they still don't know what I've actually been doing,_ Mary said, injecting confidence into her voice. _If they're expecting an idiot, they'll be caught off guard and give the advantage to us. I'm coming over right away –_

 _Good, but there's one more thing,_ Dinah said. _You have to come alone. You can't bring anyone else._

 _What!?_ Mary said. _Let me tell you, Heinrich is –_

 _It's not a matter of strength,_ Dinah said. _As it stands, we'll maximise this advantage if we keep the truth of where you've been a secret. Thankfully, part of the cover is that you were going around disguised to avoid causing a commotion. There's no way to bring Heinrich along – even if we made up a story about him being from Hellgondo, that wouldn't explain his contracts with the Great Spirits, and there's a risk of the truth being discovered – there's not that many men on Hellgondo, after all. You have to come back here, by yourself, and take up the throne. That's all I have time to say._

Mary punched a dune, burying her fist in the soft sand. She gave a summary of the conversation to the others.

Sylph cried out, "That's horrible! How could that happen! Heinrich, ignore what she said, you have to go there with her!"

Gnome, for once, did not attempt to hit Sylph. She said quietly, "There is little choice in this situation. There is another problem that was not mentioned just now. If Heinrich were to accompany Mary back to Hellgondo… those who killed the former Monster Lord will see him as Mary's weak point."

"That doesn't matter!" Sylph retorted. "He has us on his side, he can beat up any – "

"And could he beat Thalia Nereneid on his own?" Gnome said. "I'm not criticising your skill, Heinrich… you have mastered our powers to an incredible level… but there's a limit to what the two of us can do for you. The speed of the wind and the strength of the earth may make you mightier than most monsters… but these are monsters who dared to assassinated a Monster Lord, and could access poisons strong enough to accomplish this. Each one of them will be on Thalia Nereneid's level, or even higher… these are not opponents you can face yet."

Sylph couldn't think of any response to this.

Mary was still conflicted over the need to separate from Heinrich, even if she understood why it was necessary. Heinrich looked just as conflicted. However, Mary had a flash of insight.

"You said that wind and earth weren't enough, Gnome," Mary said. "In that case, what if Heinrich were to seek out the remaining two spirits? That would make up for his weak areas, right?"

"That's… technically possible," Gnome admitted. "But to actually accomplish that – "

"Didn't we just go to Gold Volcano trying to meet Salamander?" Heinrich said. "And didn't you just say I already mastered yours and Sylph's powers to an incredible level? I think I can – no, I _know_ I can do it."

Gnome closed her eyes. "In that case… I leave it to your judgement."

They discussed their plans carefully but also quickly, since time was of the essence. Mary would leave for Hellgondo tonight. She handed over her size-changing cabinet to Heinrich, since it would be more useful in his hands. Heinrich would head over to Undine's Spring as fast as the wind could take him, form a contract with Undine, and then head back to Gold Volcano – the power of water would be helpful for his second visit to the volcano. Once he had gained experience in using the two additional spirits, he would go to Hellgondo himself and his relationship with Mary would be officially announced.

Once they finished their discussion, Mary and Heinrich hugged each other tightly.

"This isn't goodbye," Mary whispered. "We _will_ meet again."

"Good luck," Heinrich said.

Mary let go, spread her wings, and took off.

-ooo-

Heinrich watched the darkening sky long after Mary's silhouette had disappeared. Eventually, Sylph tugged on his sleeve.

"It's time for us to go as well," Sylph said, her voice devoid of her usual cheer.

"You're right. I have my own job to do," Heinrich said.

The two spirits merged with Heinrich. After one last look at the northern sky, Heinrich surrounded himself with a raging wind and rose into the air. He ascended until he was too high for most people to see from the ground, then flew towards the east.

* * *

 _AN: To those of_ _you who were expecting more lighthearted fluff - sorry to betray your expectations, but this is still a Black Alice fic._

 _This is the final chapter of this arc, and it marks a turning point in the story. I still can't believe that I was able to make it this far._

 _From now on is the real meat of this story. The 22 chapters up until now have all been setup for this. I originally planned for this next section to be just as long as the first, but I trimmed it down quite a bit. Consequently, we are more than halfway through. The next part will be faster-paced and thematically different, that's all I can say without spoiling anything._


	24. Chapter 23: Tyrant's Ascension

Mary flew over Hellgondo with the speed of a diving raptor. She had been flying almost constantly, making just one stop to change into the appearance she'd used prior to this journey, frilly blue dress and all.

The Monster Lord's Castle came into view. It was "the castle that had never fallen", repelling even the mightiest assaults by Heaven's armies during the Great Monster Wars. The inhabitants might not be as strong as those of that time, but the thick stone walls and layers upon layers of defensive enchantments remained. Few humans not native to Hellgondo had ever seen this formidable sight. She had hoped that Heinrich would become one of them… but that would have to wait.

The guards on the castle walls, who included harpies and other sharp-eyed monsters, noticed Mary's approach. Even from a distance, Mary could sense the wave of commotion spread throughout the castle. Mary landed near the front gate and, a few moments later, the gate opened.

From the gate emerged a dozen servants and three people that Mary recognised: the succubus Kokka, the lamia Kokuja and the vampire Kurobara. They had been her friends for almost as long as she could remember… and they had made a promise that was extremely relevant to the current situation.

Upon catching sight of Mary, Kokka flew at her with enough force to knock down most people.

"You're back!" Kokka cried. "You're finally back!"

"Really, almost a whole year without saying anything to us?" Kokuja said, hands on her hips in mock frustration.

"Well, I'm sure you had your reasons," Kurobara said. "It reminds me of that time you said you'd be out for a few minutes to pick mushrooms, only to end up – "

"Didn't we agree to never bring that up again?" Mary said. "I got scolded enough about that…"

Kokka released her tight embrace of Mary and stepped back. The trio and Mary hardened their expressions. They walked inside the castle, the servants following close behind.

"I'm sorry for your loss, we all are," Kurobara murmured quietly.

"Even if death is a normal part of life, that doesn't mean it hurts any less," Kokuja said.

"If you need help, we'll always be there for you," Kokka said.

Mary didn't say anything. She simply nodded in acknowledgement of these words.

As they passed through the entrance hall, various servants and nobles approached to quietly welcome Mary back and express their sympathy for her loss. None of this was unusual. What was unusual was the absence of a particular person, someone who should have appeared already.

While Mary was thinking about this, the crowd parted to allow three large monsters to approach. These three monsters emitted an aura of power that caused the humans and weaker monsters to be visibly unsettled.

The first was a beast monster with the long snout and pointed ears of a wolf. Her body was thin but wiry, the build of a hunter who prized both strength and speed, and covered in thick white fur that could stop swords, spears and even magical attacks. Her hands and feet were armed with claws that could shred through the finest of mithril armour. Her mouth was slightly open, exposing sharp fangs designed for a diet of flesh. She wore only a simple loincloth that allowed her bushy tail to move about freely and left her upper body exposed.

The second was a harpy whose appearance comprised a dazzling variety of colours. Both her wings and the feathered part of her legs were bright crimson. In contrast, her tail feathers were a vivid blue that faded into green at the tips. Her skin was white while her hair, tied into three braids that reached down to her waist, was black. She wore a tight-fitting black dress that matched her hair and left her limbs free to permit flight.

The third was a sea dragon who was the largest of the trio by a significant margin. Her upper body alone could match the average man in height, while her lower body comprised a scaled tail as thick as an ancient tree and long enough to encircle a small house. Her skin and the ventral surface of her tail were pale blue, while her hair and the dorsal surface of her tail were the dark blue of the ocean depths. She wore only a necklace and bracelets, both made from solid gold, and carried a trident in one hand.

Mary recognised them: the beast was Sköll, the queen of the largest pack of beasts on Hellgondo; the harpy was Fenghuang, queen of the harpies dwelling in the mountains on the west edge of the Noah region; and the dragon was Leviathan, queen of every sea monster in the North Sea. Moreover, Mary knew of the abhorrent ideology they promoted. If one to were to ask any inhabitant of Hellgondo about who still clung to the old monster traditions, the names of these three would be among the first mentioned.

"Haven't seen you around here in a while," Sköll said. "You finally done playing around?"

"It was truly a pity, your mother's death," Fenghuang said. "Even if she and I did not always agree on issues, she was a remarkable woman… I can only hope that you can live up to the name she left behind."

"There is no need for such rudeness," Leviathan said. "That said, my companions do have an important point. To be Monster Lord is to possess the privilege and the responsibility of ruling over all monsters. It is not a position that can be taken lightly. Are you prepared for what it involves?"

"Thank you for taking the time to greet me," Mary said, keeping her face and voice neutral. "To answer your question, I _do_ think I'm prepared. You might think little of me because of my history, but I'll remind you that my mother was hardly the most responsible person in her youth. Yet when she took the throne, she became the Monster Lord that you… respected so greatly. I'm confident that, given the same opportunity, I can live up to the legacy she left behind."

Leviathan opened her mouth to reply, but stopped as there was someone else approaching.

Dinah walked – or rather, stomped into the room. As soon as she spotted Mary, a scowl formed on her face. She grabbed the hem of Mary's clothes and snarled, "So you've _finally_ decided to come back!? You think you can just do as you please, leaving me to handle all the work, and just come back here and sit on the throne?"

Mary extended her tentacles to firmly restrain Dinah's limbs, and said, "Nice to see you too, sister. Did you forget just which out of the two of us is stronger?"

"And you think that makes you better suited for the job?" Dinah said, practically spitting out the words. "Then again, I guess I can't expect you to actually _think_ about such things."

"But isn't that the main requirement of being Monster Lord: to be the strongest, so that others will follow you?" Mary said. She turned to the surroundings and added. "I need to have a little family discussion right now, please excuse us for a moment."

"In my flock, family disagreements are open for all to see, so that others might learn from – " Fenghuang interjected.

Mary stopped restraining her own aura, allowing all to witness her full power – power that was not at all inferior to that of the three queens. She said, in a voice devoid of emotion, "Did you not hear me the first time? Because I have no intention of repeating myself."

This silenced everyone else in the room. Sköll commented, "So you do have some bite after all… Not bad."

Fenghuang gave a small bow. "I apologise for my rudeness," she said. "You have shown yourself worthy as the heir to the throne, and I will respect your decision on this matter."

"Should you wish to speak to us again, we will be waiting in the western dining hall," Leviathan said.

With that settled, Mary started walking towards a small door on the side of the entrance hall, dragging Dinah with her. Kokka tried to follow after her, but Kurobara restrained her with her cloak. Mary passed through the door and the corridor on the other side to reach a small storage room. Once there was no one around to eavesdrop, Mary released her restraint and hugged Dinah tightly.

"Just – just what is going on?" Mary said. "Why did you have to put up that act?"

"It was necessary," Dinah said. She grasped Mary's hand and opened up a telepathic link using the direct contact. _First, we still need to keep up the act, we'll have to pretend we're fighting out loud. And before you ask, I haven't tried using normal telepathy to contact you because, just an hour ago, our enemies put up a spell that lets them listen in on any telepathic messages being transmitted through the air, ostensibly as a security measure against any future assassins, or spies_.

"How long do you planning on getting in my way!" Mary shouted. _I can't believe it's gotten this bad… I should never have left here in the first place, I –_

"As long as you have no idea what it means to be a leader!" Dinah snapped back. _That's not true. If you hadn't gone on this journey, you would never have grown to the point of being able to keep up this kind of deception._

"That's – and are you saying that you have an idea of what that means?" Mary said, trying to conceal her embarrassment. _Anyway, what else happened?_

"I've forgotten more about leadership than you've ever learned!" Dinah said. _I'm now ninety nine percent certain that the ones ultimately responsible for mother's assassination are these four:_ _Sköll, Fenghuang, Leviathan – who you've already met – and Rhea Nereneid. Unfortunately, they haven't spent this time idle, they've worked out that I'm against their cause – or rather, they probably figured it out before they made their move – and because of that, they're careful to avoid leaking any information about their intentions or plans to me. This includes making sure that their allies are also wary of me, and my allies in turn. As a result, I'm limited in how much I can oppose them._

"If that includes knowing how to smile and act nice around people I hate, I'm happy not learning it in the first place!" Mary said. _But they aren't so sure about where I stand, do they? More importantly, they think of me as a childish idiot who has no idea about politics. They think they can use me as a puppet._

"I wish you had never come back! Then we wouldn't be in this mess!" Dinah said. _Exactly, that's why I told you to keep what you were actually doing hidden, to better sell this idea. Now, it's true that our enemies suspect your involvement in the destruction of the Nereneid camp, thanks to Rhea going south to see the ruins afterwards, but they've avoided making this public - they can't afford to appear weak. I'm also fairly certain that they don't know of anything else you did or that Heinrich exists – as far as they know, you decided to fly south on a whim and blew up the camp on your own. It's even possible – though I wouldn't rely on this – that they don't know_ why _exactly you did it, that they think it was simply removing an old enemy to the family rather than any opposition to their ideology._

"It's too bad, because I'm here to stay, and I won't let you stop me!" Mary said. _So that's why you pretended to hate me back then – well, more than usual. You were trying to portray me as someone you would never work with even if your life was on the line… so that our enemies would think it safe to try manipulating me, and potentially expose their own weaknesses._

"…Fine then. But when your rule brings ruin to monsterkind, don't say I didn't warn you," Dinah said. _And from what I can tell, it seems to have worked. At least for those three queens, they think you're too foolish to deduce their true intentions but powerful enough to act as a figurehead for their ideology. I'm not sure about Rhea, though… ever since she returned, she's barely shown her face, spending most of her time in her room._

"There won't be any ruin, I can assure you of that," Mary said. _That uncertainty we can deal with. Moving on, if we're going to pretend to be enemies in public, we can't keep meeting like this. As you said earlier, our enemies aren't stupid – if they see us regularly having private meetings, they'll soon suspect what's really happening._

"You're truly beyond help if you think that," Dinah said. _I have an idea about that. You remember that secret code we invented when we were children?_

"Just sit back and watch me become Monster Lord!" Mary said. _The one where we only spoke to each other seriously when we called each other 'idiot', and otherwise acted as if we didn't want anything to do with each other?_

"I won't give up," Dinah said. _That one. We can start using it again, so that when we call the other 'idiot', we include a cryptic but important question or answer, one that only the two of us would understand. Anything without that word is just acting and isn't worth remembering. To make it even harder for others to realise the code, we can use synonyms like 'fool' and 'imbecile' to address each other when we're not speaking seriously. After all, if we're constantly insulting each other's intelligence, others will have no reason to think that any part of our conversation stands out from the others._

Mary didn't say anything. The suggested method of secret communication was good, but that wasn't what attracted her attention.

 _Are you – did you get all of that?_ Dinah asked, forgetting to keep up the fake argument. _Or do you have a better –_

Mary hugged Dinah again. _No, I – it's just, I never thought you'd remember something like that._

Dinah returned the hug. _Of course I wouldn't forget… idiot. In hindsight, we wasted so much of our youth on pointless squabbling…_

 _But we made up with each other in the end, and that's what matters,_ Mary said. _Now, we have an important goal in front of us._

 _We need to make sure that mother's death doesn't go unanswered –_

 _– and show those bastards what a_ real _Monster Lord is._

-ooo-

A week passed. It was a non-stop flurry of reading and signing documents, meeting with ambassadors, preparations for the funeral, and rushing all over the castle to get from one task to the next. It was something that Dinah had never imagined even in her worst nightmares.

Throughout this week, Dinah didn't see much of her older sister. While this was only natural, considering the nature of the act they were putting on, Mary seemed to avoid speaking to Dinah even on the few occasions that they did meet. Mary had also started carrying around "Beary" again and talking to it as if it were an actual person. Even with all of her experience at reading people, Dinah was not entirely certain that it was an act. She should have been proud of her sister for reaching this level, and grateful that nobody else suspected anything, but still… she just couldn't relax.

The funeral of Alice VII was held. It was an occasion that Dinah tried her best to not remember. The coffin, a massive construction of Yggdrasil wood, had actually been prepared during Alice VII's lifetime – an example of how the late Monster Lord had been accepting of her own mortality. The body of Alice VII was placed in the coffin and the lid sealed. Dinah was grateful for the custom, since she doubted she could remain in control if she was able to see the lifeless remains again. The coffin was lifted up by four strong monsters and carried out of the castle towards the graveyard, accompanied by wailing mourners and musicians playing dirges.

Countless people came from every corner of the world to attend the funeral, far more than had attended the funeral of Alice VI, at least according to the historical records. One of them was a harpy who had travelled all the way up from the Ilias continent. She brought with her stories of unprovoked violence, with the humans forming armed mobs and raiding monster villages, killing any who did not flee and burning everything else to the ground. This and other, similar stories were spread among the crowd throughout the funeral, resulting in an atmosphere of anger and resentment that escaped no one's notice.

Finally, the coffin reached the graveyard. It was carefully lowered into the grave, during which priestesses of the Dark Goddess spoke the last rites, imploring their goddess to guide this soul to a peaceful oblivion and protect it from the depredations of Ilias. Then the coffin was buried. The funeral ended.

After the funeral, the inheritance of Alice VII needed to be divided up. Following the terms of the will, the majority of her personal property was placed in the royal treasury. The remainder was given to her two daughters and to various individuals that Alice VII had wished to reward for exceptional service. Dinah received a collection of paintings, some of which dated back to the Great Monster Wars, while Mary received a collection of jewellery with various enchantments on them.

But these material objects weren't the focus of Dinah's attention. That was something that could never be inherited: the position of Monster Lord. Dinah hoped that this could be passed on smoothly to her sister… but even the best-laid plans could go wrong.

-ooo-

"The selection of the next Monster Lord will now begin. The default candidate is Mary Fateburn, first daughter of the late Alice the Seventh. Her younger sister and the second daughter, Dinah Fateburn, has chosen not to challenge her claim…"

The arena of the Monster Lord's Castle was currently packed with people. This was an immense room consisting of a circle of bare stone at the centre and rows of seats along the walls. Layer upon layer of powerful barriers were woven into the stone to prevent any attacks in the centre from reaching the audience or damaging the room itself. Dinah was seated in the front row, giving her an excellent view of the proceedings.

"No other candidate has placed a claim. If none do at the present moment, then – "

"I challenge!"

A proud voice resounded from the seats. Its owner stood up, revealing herself to be Rhea Nereneid. Using her slimy tentacles, she easily lifted her bulk over the dividing wall and entered the centre of the arena.

"I, Rhea Nereneid, place my claim to the title of Monster Lord!" Rhea declared.

Dinah was shocked. It was customary for any candidates for Monster Lord to place their claims in advance, so that there was time to prepare. Judging from the looks on their faces, this action was a surprise to Rhea's allies as well.

The succubus who was officiating the selection cleared her throat and said, "There are now two candidates for the title of Monster Lord. Thus, there will be a contest of strength to prove who is worthy of the title. Are there any others who wish to place their claim?" After ten seconds of nothing but confused whispering, the succubus continued, "In that case, candidates, to your positions."

Mary and Rhea moved to the middle of the arena, a few metres apart from each other. Rhea had an expression of undisguised hatred on her face. Mary, on the other hand, had a dissonantly casual expression that wouldn't seem out of place on someone in a friendly sporting event.

"I've been waiting for this moment, ever since I saw what you did," Rhea snarled.

"You seem stressed, why don't you take some time off to relax?" Mary replied. "I can recommend some excellent places."

"Candidates, are you sufficiently prepared?" the succubus asked. After both confirmed that they were, the succubus continued, "Then begin!"

Rhea made the first move. She used her tentacles to move backwards at a speed unexpected from her large frame, then produced four illusory copies of herself that moved out in different directions. Each of the Rheas acted independently: three closed in on Mary and attacked with tentacles and corrosive slime, while the other two stayed back and began casting spells.

 _This is bad, I can't sense any difference between the real one and the illusions – she must be a specialist with illusions,_ Dinah thought. _Even if Mary can keep track of the real one, it'll be difficult for her to deal with being attacked from all directions at once, even if most of those attacks are fake, and – what is she doing!?_

Mary remained at the same position as at the beginning of the fight, without even changing into her true form. She didn't flinch as the three illusory Rheas attacked her at close range, instead dispelling them with brief gestures of her hands. When the two remaining Rheas cast their spells, Mary blocked only the real spell – a jet of high-pressure water that could have pierced through a castle wall – using a magic barrier, and ignored the illusory spell.

"Is that all you have?" Mary asked. "So that's why you couldn't become the family head while your sister was still alive!"

Upon hearing these words, Rhea trembled with a volcanic rage. She did not respond with words, instead opening up a massive mouth on her lower body and breathing out a toxic purple mist.

Mary didn't act until the mist had almost reached her. She swung her staff forwards, creating a cone of flame that swallowed up the mist, destroying the poison through sheer heat.

"It looks like you don't have any more tricks up your sleeve… so I suppose I should finish this," Mary said. Her body suddenly flared with dark energy, and she shouted, "Monster Lord's Cruelty!"

The space around Mary shattered, producing four holes from which four serpents of pure darkness emerged. The serpents gazed menacingly at Rhea, whose anger had now been replaced by an unmistakeable fear.

Rhea quickly cast another water spell, creating a massive wave. Unfortunately, this lacked the power needed to intercept the legendary dark magic. The serpents punched through the wave as though it was no more resistant than air, then closed in on Rhea… only for three of them to suddenly stop. The fourth did not stop, and it removed Rhea's left arm in a single vicious bite.

"Argh! You – what are you – "

A second serpent attacked, removing the right arm.

"Aaaahhh! Stop, I – I surrender – just stop!"

A third serpent attacked, removing several tentacles and a portion of the lower body.

Rhea was no longer able to form coherent words. Collapsed on the floor, she screamed in agony.

"If you had bothered reading the rules, they say that the victor has the right to decide how to handle the loser," Mary said. "And besides… if you pursue the title of Monster Lord, shouldn't you be prepared to lose your life?"

With a gesture, Mary ordered the fourth and final serpent to attack. It devoured Rhea completely, leaving behind no traces.

For a few seconds, the arena was entirely silent. Then the succubus announcer declared, "The – The victor is Mary Fateburn! As the sole surviving candidate, I proclaim her as the eighth Monster Lord! From this day forward, she shall be known as Alipheese Fateburn the Eighth, long shall she reign!"

The audience became noisy. The general atmosphere was of confusion and fear, with many expressing uncertainty over what would happen next – Mary's old friends were in this category. Some, including Sköll, Fenghuang and Leviathan, gave subdued applause.

Dinah remained silent. She looked carefully at her sister, who was smiling triumphantly at her victory. She thought of the workload that she would still have to deal with, in an attempt to avoid remembering one of her lessons.

Throughout history, many leaders had tried to act with the best of intentions, putting on a mask to deal with others. Yet it was all too common for them to become lost within the mask.

-ooo-

Heinrich continued to speed through the air, despite the fatigue in his limbs. It should have taken three days for him to reach Undine's Spring in the Noah region, four at most. However, he had been delayed by a storm, which prevented him from flying for two days, and a landslide that had half-buried a village, forcing him to stay for three days to help. Consequently, it was on the afternoon of the eighth day that Heinrich finally reached his destination.

Located in the middle of dense forest, Undine's Spring was a pool of water the size of a small village. The water was unnaturally clear, lacking any of the murk that could be found in a normal waterway. Despite this, Heinrich couldn't see the bottom of the spring, and neither Sylph's nor Gnome's power could let him sense anything through water.

 _Mary hasn't contacted me yet… is she just busy, or is there something else going on?_ Heinrich wondered.

 _I know how you feel – literally, being in your head and all – but you can't spend too much time worrying about that,_ Sylph said. _You have your own job to do._

 _I can't believe how often I'm agreeing with her lately… but Sylph is correct,_ Gnome said. _Now, you must find the entrance to the spring…_

Heinrich walked around the edge of the spring. He eventually found the spot that matched the spirits' descriptions: a portion of the spring's surface that sparkled brilliantly, as though it were liquid diamond instead of water. He approached this spot, only to hear a strange voice.

"Halt. Leave here if you value your life…"

"I'm afraid I must enter. My wish is to meet the Great Spirit of Water, Undine, and ask her to lend me her power." Heinrich said.

"None may enter, no matter their cause," the voice replied.

"I already hold within me the Great Spirits of Wind and Earth, Sylph and Gnome," Heinrich said. "I – "

"No amount of persuasion will sway me. You are not welcome here. Leave," the voice said.

Heinrich invoked the powers of the wind and the earth – while they would be weakened in the spring, since he would be surrounded by water, they were better than nothing. He approached the sparkling patch of water, saying, "I'm sorry for the intrusion, but the matter is urgent. I must speak with Undine."

The sparkling water proved to be no more than an illusion – one of the aspects of water magic, which drew upon water's ability to bend and distort light. Heinrich's foot passed through the illusion and landed on a stone step. The young man continued descending the staircase until he was entirely beneath the surface of the spring.

Beneath Undine's Spring was a large underwater cave. The floor of the cave was damp mud while the walls and ceiling were water, suspended in the air in defiance of gravity. The cave was illuminated by the faint blue light that filtered through the water above. The faintness of the light, combined with the multiple rock formations scattered throughout the cave, greatly limited Heinrich's vision.

Heinrich sensed something charge at him through the darkness. He leaped to the side, immediately noticing that the mud clung to his feet, even though he was using Gnome's power to improve his footing. A defensive measure against intruders, presumably.

The attacker was a blue-coloured slime. She murmured, "You were warned… now that you've come here, your life is forfeit."

The slime attacked again, using a whip-like tentacle formed from her body. Heinrich dodged, moving more than necessary to avoid the attack – in order to also avoid the attack coming from behind. He turned to see that the second attacker was also a slime, this one red in colour.

"Again, I'm sorry for intruding, but I really need to see Undine!" Heinrich said.

"Nothing you say can stop us. Die!" the second slime retorted.

Heinrich tried to ignore the slimes and rush forward. However, his speed was hindered by the mud and the confines of the cave. In contrast, the environment was a great advantage to the slimes, allowing them to easily hide and ambush Heinrich by bursting out from the aqueous walls. He tried cloaking himself, but this didn't stop the slimes finding him – it was probably impossible to hide from them in an environment with so much of their favoured element. And as time passed on, more and more slimes chased after him, eventually leaving him with no place to run.

Heinrich was cornered in a dead end. His back was pressed up against a wall, which was as solid as rock despite its composition. The slimes advanced on him.

"I don't want to have to hurt you, I just want to meet Undine!" Heinrich shouted. "Please, just let me pass!"

"Words are futile, fight!" a slime said.

At this point, Heinrich stopped holding back. He was worried about Mary and the current state of the world, and exhausted from the flight here. With these accumulated emotions driving his sword, Heinrich attacked.

Normally, a slime was the worst enemy of a swordsman. Their amorphous bodies could easily reform after being cut or pierced, and while the cells within their slime did get slightly damaged by such attacks, it would take dozens of attacks to seriously harm them this way. However, Heinrich had the elemental power of the spirits on his side. Each swing of his sword produced a gust of biting wind that slammed into a slime, knocking them down and disorienting them. After creating a big enough gap in the encirclement, Heinrich escaped.

As he rushed through the cave, Heinrich realised that its layout was incredibly convoluted, with numerous twists and turns. Even though the total area wasn't that large and Heinrich was running as fast as possible, he still seemed to be nowhere near the end. Presumably, the cave was constructed this way because its inhabitants could simply move through the walls, while intruders would need to take the long way around.

Suddenly, green slime erupted from the mud underneath Heinrich, engulfing his limbs. He struggled, but escaping these amorphous restraints was virtually impossible with strength alone.

A head formed from the green slime. "You can't escape now… Accept your end…" she said.

Fortunately, Heinrich had figured out answers to various problems during his sparring with Mary, including how to escape when only his head was free. After taking in a deep breath, Heinrich shouted, amplifying the sound with the power of the wind. The slime recoiled from the amplified sound, weakening her hold enough for Heinrich to escape.

Heinrich moved onwards. He could now sense a powerful presence up ahead, one similar to that of Sylph and Gnome – there was no mistaking who it was. There was also a group of weaker presences before that, presumably the last line of defence.

Heinrich entered a small chamber containing four purple slimes… but all of them were children, each with only a fraction of the volume of the adult slimes from before. They were clinging to each other and cowering in one corner of the chamber.

"No – don't hurt us!" one of the slimes cried.

"I'm not going to hurt you!" Heinrich said, sheathing his sword and bending down to the level of the slimes. "I'm just here to see Undine."

"Are – are you going to hurt her?" another of the slimes asked.

"No, I'm here because I want to ask her to lend me her power," Heinrich said. "I didn't come here because I wanted to hurt anybody."

"Then… Undine is just over there," the same slime said, pointing in the direction of the powerful presence.

Heinrich thanked the slime children and left the chamber. He turned right at a bend and came to the end of the cave. It was another chamber, much larger than the previous one. There was barely any floor here, with most of the space taken up by a pool of water that was continuous with the walls.

When Heinrich stepped into the chamber, the water stirred. A figure emerged from the surface. She looked like another slime at first, being made out of pale blue liquid, but her body terminated in a piscine tail like that of a mermaid's. Her "hair" was a long mass of dark blue slime that draped over her face, concealing one eye. The remaining eye was a calming shade of green, and it was directed straight at Heinrich.

"Welcome to my spring," Undine said, in a tranquil voice. "You have passed my test, and are worthy of the power of water."

"Wait – that was all?" Heinrich asked. "I passed it – before I actually met you?"

"Indeed. If I were _Salamander_ ," Undine said, in a disparaging tone that reminded Heinrich of Gnome when she was angry with Sylph, "you would now have to face me in a pointless fight to fully prove yourself. But the power of water does not require such things."

"So the voice at the start, and the slimes attacking me, were all just an act…" Heinrich said. "But what about those children just now!?"

At this moment, Heinrich felt the four children from before approaching. They entered Undine's chamber, still clinging to each other – then merged together into a single adult slime.

"Surprised?" the purple slime said, laughing. "Dividing into multiple bodies is something many slimes can do, but dividing into smaller bodies that can realistically pretend to be children is a little trick that only I can do. But forget about that!" The slime licked her lips and leaned over to emphasise her exaggerated curves. "You happen to be just my type – why don't you and I go over there for – "

"Sorry, but I'm already in a relationship," Heinrich said quickly.

"What!? Dammit, does _every_ attractive man have to already be taken?" the purple slime complained.

"You can attempt to slake your lusts another time, Dium," Undine said to the purple slime, who nodded grudgingly and left. She turned to Heinrich. "Now, I have yet to actually learn your name."

Before Heinrich could answer, Sylph popped out of his head, followed shortly after by Gnome.

"This is Heinrich, and he's been able to contract with both of us," Sylph said. "But more importantly, it's been so long, Deeny! I never thought I'd see the day that we'd get to travel around together. But now that we can, we – glub, glub – "

Undine interrupted Sylph by surrounding her in a floating sphere of water.

"…The point is, Heinrich is a rare person who was able to use two of us simultaneously… and with great skill," Gnome said, as though nothing had happened just now. "He is also engaged to the main contender for Monster Lord… who may have already become Monster Lord. Furthermore, there is considerable unrest in the world. Heinrich has come to you to gain additional power… in order to bring some semblance of order."

"I've heard about what's happening, and even the most restrained rumours are concerning," Undine said. "A double spirit contractor, and on top of that the partner of a Monster Lord… you are quite a rare individual, Heinrich."

Heinrich lowered his head in embarrassment, unable to say anything.

"Allow me to explain the full purpose of this test," Undine said. "It is not simply a test of fighting skill, as I said before. Those slimes with the role of attacking have instructions to match their strength to that of the challenger – this is to ensure that even a normal human could get past them. The true purpose is to see whether a prospective contractor is capable of keeping a serene mind even in the midst of battle. That is why Dium poses as a group of children, encountered after the gauntlet of hostile attackers. Those who fight with disturbed hearts, who abandon restraint to the point of harming the helpless, are not worthy of my power."

Heinrich nodded in understanding. He asked, "What exactly happens to those who fail?"

"If a challenger loses to one of the attackers, they are rendered unconscious, returned to the surface, and their memories of the test wiped except for the knowledge that they failed," Undine replied. "If someone attacks Dium, she pretends to flee by sinking into the floor, and the challenger's fate depends on what they do afterwards. If they realise what they did and show remorse afterwards, they are also rendered unconscious and returned to the surface." Undine paused briefly. "Those who attack Dium and do _not_ feel remorse – for example, those who attempt to hide their crime – do not leave alive."

These words caused Heinrich to shiver. They reminded him of a lesson that Sylph and Gnome had taught him earlier: water might seem soft and insubstantial, but it was no less dangerous than any of the elements.

With the explanation over, the spirits returned to Heinrich. Undine pointed her finger at him and vanished in a flash of light. Suddenly, Heinrich felt a powerful current flow through his veins. Images flashed through his mind: an overflowing river, an incoming tide, the raging sea.

 _This is the power of water_ , Undine said. _Calm yourself, and it will subside._

Heinrich did as instructed. He imagined the surface of a small pond, completely and utterly still. The sensation of flowing water subsided, allowing him to move around normally. He began to leave the cave.

 _My power is not an easy one to master,_ Undine warned. _The potential benefits, however, are considerable. You will need to spend many days in training, but in the end you will become a force to be reckoned with._

 _I'm ready for it,_ Heinrich replied. His thoughts turned to another topic. _Just wait a little longer, Mary. I'll be there as soon as I can._

* * *

 _AN: Political intrigue is something I have trouble imagining, so it took me a while to get this out. If there's anything here that breaks your suspension of disbelief, please point it out._

 _The code mentioned here isn't my invention, it's inspired by a similar code used in_ The Dresden Files _(though that code wasn't as insulting)._


	25. Chapter 24: Ignition

Knowledge of the new Monster Lord, Alipheese Fateburn VIII, spread all over the world in just a few days. However, she was generally referred to by something other than her birth name.

Famous figures often received descriptive epithets, and Monster Lords were no exception. Alice VIII's grandmother, Alice VI, had been called "The Serpent of the East" for her lamia-like form and mastery of Taoism, the branch of magic unique to the Yamatai region. And of course, the very first Monster Lord had so many epithets that it was impossible to recite them all in one breath. But Alice VIII was called something more sinister, a name inspired by the ruthless manner in which she had disposed of her competitor for the throne.

"Black Alice".

-ooo-

Alice VIII sat atop her throne, one leg crossed over the other, Beary in her lap. She had modified the throne, with flowers draped over the back and hand-drawn pictures of animals ripping each other apart on the sides, to better sell her public persona. At this moment she was listening to her subjects, who approached her one by one with unpleasant news.

"I snuck into a human village, near Grand Noah. I heard them discussing plans to form an armed militia, to go out and exterminate all of the monsters around them! We can't possibly fight back, and from what we've heard the other villages are just as bad, so we can't migrate either – "

"We've lost contact with the monsters in San Ilia. The worst has come to pass… I beg you, Your Majesty, please lend us your aid! If we act now, it may be possible to save a few of our kin – "

"From Iliasville to Iliasport, every human on the continent has all but declared war on us. Their forges are dedicated to making weapons and the people to training with them. It's only a matter of time before they start trying to wipe us out. Most of us can't fly or swim, so we can't get off the continent. If we're to stand any chance of surviving, we have to make the first move – "

Throughout the court session, Alice VIII maintained a bored expression and gave noncommittal answers to her subjects' requests. Internally, she struggled to hide her worry.

 _Now I understand why mother was always so miserable – she had to deal with this burden every single day,_ Alice VIII thought.

Sköll was also in the throne room during this session. During a break, she turned to Alice VIII and said, "Things are getting heated up, Your Majesty. I'm not the smartest in the room, but I reckon we should strike first."

Alice VIII titled her head in a manner that would have looked endearing if it were done by a child, but it only looked disconcerting when done by someone of her age and position. She asked, "I don't have any experience with war, so let me ask you: what are the advantages or disadvantages to striking first?"

"Well, the obvious one is to hit them before they're fully prepared," Sköll said. "You also get to choose the time and place of the battle, but not always. The biggest disadvantage is that, unless you're attacking the enemy when they're in the middle of travelling, you'll have to attack them in their own territory, which they know better than you. Plus all the walls and traps that get in your way. Even if humans are weaker than us, they're damn good at digging in and making themselves hard to reach."

Alice VIII considered this advice dispassionately. This was consistent with her own knowledge, gained from looking at human settlements, reading books about warfare and talking with various kinds of people. What drew her attention was _how_ Sköll had learned these things. This information did not appear to be second-hand, instead giving the impression of being gained through experience.

"It's been three months since I became Monster Lord, and there's still so many troublesome things," Alice VIII said in a complaining tone. "Hmm… how are we faring when it comes to military readiness?"

This question was answered by a male servant, one of the clerks in charge of logistics. "That is something that we're actually doing well in, Your Majesty," he said, a faint hint of fear in his voice. "Our forges are producing weapons and armour at a steady pace, we've accumulated a large stockpile of preserved food capable of sustaining an army for at least several months, and over five hundred monsters have volunteered for military service, with more joining every day. That's just the forces that are on Hellgondo; various leaders all over the world, such as the newly-crowned Queen Spider, have pledged their own forces."

Alice VIII closed her eyes as if thinking about this advice. She was actually thinking about how the poor man was feeling around her. He was not unique in this regard: most of the humans in the castle were nervous around her, as though they feared she would tear them apart and devour them at any moment. Which, considering the kinds of people she publically associated with, was not unfounded.

 _And once I make_ this _decision, even more will be hurt, humans and monsters alike. But… at this point… I don't have a choice. There's too much anger, too much hatred, to keep it contained for any longer._

The break ended. Alice VIII waited for her subjects to finish filing back into the room, then she stood up and made an announcement.

"From what I've heard, today and for the last few months, there's a lot of not very fun things happening in the world," Alice VIII said. "In my opinion, there's only one way to resolve this. Today, as my first major act as Monster Lord, I declare war on the five human nations."

The throne room immediately lit up with frantic conversation. Sköll silently smiled in approval.

"If we keep waiting like this, they'll just declare war on us, so we may as well do it first and gain the initiative," Alice VIII continued. "Besides, it's a chance to finally get rid of that pathetic eyesore, the Church of Ilias. I don't know who came up with the idea of letting them be, but it was foolish to do so when their goddess openly hates our very existence."

Alice VIII paused, taking a look around the room. She noted who immediately cheered at these words, who hesitated before cheering, and who appeared to be uncomfortable, filing this information away for future reference.

"Our armies are large and powerful, but they could always use more recruits. After all, the more warriors we have, the fewer casualties we sustain," Alice VIII said. "As an incentive, anyone who distinguishes themselves in battle shall be rewarded with a title – or a superior title, if they already have one – and a portion of the land that we conquer in this war."

These words caused a fraction of the audience to react, their eyes lighting up with ambition. Again, Alice VIII made a note of who reacted this way.

"And besides, I'm sure it'll be a fun experience!" Alice VIII said, with a broad smile.

The reaction to this was relatively consistent: confusion, followed by a hurried attempt to hide said confusion. Everyone who had interacted with Alice VIII over the past few months had learned to deal with her strange and often unsettling mannerisms.

"Go to your family, friends, acquaintances, and spread word of my decree. You have one week to prepare," Alice VIII concluded.

What followed next was a whirlwind of activity. The most notable event was Sköll proposing that she and her fellow queens be the main commanders of the monster armies, arguing that they were suited for the position due to their experience. Alice VIII did not dispute this, only adding a condition that they give her thorough reports of their actions, so the proposal went through. The meeting ended with most believing that, with the three powerful queens in command, the war would be over in a few months.

Alice VIII kept her true reasons to herself. The first was that staying in the castle would make it easier to cooperate with Dinah and thus secretly resist their true enemies. The second was that commanding an army was a glorious position but also a risky one… and there were monsters in this world who could crush even those three queens.

 _The best case scenario, both Tamamo and Sphinx are moved into action,_ Mary thought. _But I don't fully understand their personalities and motivations, so I can't rely on this. Aside from that, there's – there's Heinrich, who's powerful enough that he might think of fighting one of those three, but the spirits should keep him from challenging someone too powerful to defeat… I can only hope._

-ooo-

Ronald reached up to wipe the sweat off his face. Gold Port wasn't particularly hot even in summer, thanks to the ocean breezes, but walking around all day in armour would make anyone overheat. In fact, last week two of his colleagues had fainted from heatstroke and had to be treated by the local white mages.

Barely in his twenties, Ronald had signed up as a town guard because the pay was good, there were numerous openings available, and – if he was honest with himself – it was the kind of job that he couldn't mess up too badly. All it involved was patrolling the town, arresting the occasional pickpocket and breaking up drunken brawls. Few of the guards bothered to even maintain their equipment according to regulations, as they barely used it in the first place.

A few months ago, the crowning of the new Monster Lord had caused the town authorities to place Gold Port in a state of alert, requiring the guards to actually take their jobs seriously for once. But it wasn't possible, whether for an individual or an organisation, to stay alert forever. Months had passed with nothing major happening, causing the guards to return to their usual state.

Ronald looked out at the blue sea. He had a day off coming up, which he was planning to use to go on a fishing trip. At this time of year, the nearby beach had some large clams with delicious meat. While he was thinking about this, he noticed the tiny specks in the sky.

Initially, the specks could be mistaken for a flock of approaching seabirds. At this point, most people would have turned their attention to something else. But due to his boredom, Ronald kept looking at them until he realised that it wasn't a flock of seabirds, but something far more alarming – wyverns.

Wyverns were a type of dragon who had wings in place of arms, similar to harpies. Their strength and resilience were inferior to other dragons – but they were still capable of tearing apart most other monsters with only their claws and fangs. Their speed and agility were among the highest of all monsters. And, like all dragons, they could breathe fire.

Ronald had just enough time to recall these facts. The next moment, the wyverns were above the town, bombarding it with their fiery breath.

"We're – we're under attack!" Ronald shouted, gripping his spear tightly and running in no particular direction. "Get inside – "

Suddenly, Ronald discovered that the wyverns weren't the only ones attacking Gold Port. Dozens of sea monsters were emerging from the water around the docks: mermaids, scyllas, even a few sea dragons.

 _I – I have to run, there's no way I can do anything against so many monsters!_ Ronald thought.

But despite the overwhelming odds, the inhabitants of the town still fought back. The guards used their spears and, when those broke, continued fighting with daggers and gauntleted fists. The human citizens picked up knives, oars, fish hooks, axes or even rocks and charged at the attackers in groups. The monster citizens fought with their natural weapons and magic.

And the battle was not one-sided, far from it. Even if the attackers were all powerful monsters, the inhabitants of Gold Port were among the toughest on the Sentora continent. One of the wyverns was struck down by an arrow, fired by an elf who'd migrated from the Natalia region. A Crab Girl crushed one guard in her massive pincers, only to be stabbed in the neck by another guard who'd managed to sneak up on her from behind. A scylla was surrounded by a group of four and, although she managed to kill three of them with her tentacles, the fourth one closed in and crushed her head with an improvised club.

Seeing the furious, desperate resistance, Ronald swallowed his fear. He ran around the town, searching for the few that were too young or old to join the fight, and escorted them to one of the houses that was not yet burning. Of course, this soon attracted the attention of the attackers.

A scylla approached Ronald, and not just an ordinary one: this was one of the rare Elder Scyllas. Her upper half had light purple skin and long black hair, while her lower half was a mass of octopus tentacles, black with bioluminescent blue stripes, and thick enough to crush a horse into a fine paste. A layer of viscous mucus covered her body.

The Elder Scylla looked at Ronald with the air of someone examining a piece of meat. She said, "You look like you'll be fun to play with… I wonder how long you'll last?"

Ronald focused his attention inward, controlling his mana and using it to enhance his strength and speed. He might have been a slacker, but being a guard in the Gold region had far stricter requirements than elsewhere. That said, his reserves of mana were limited, so he'd have to finish this quickly.

The Elder Scylla extended three of her tentacles, with speed that could rival arrows, at Ronald. He responded by stabbing one tentacle with his spear, knocking it into a second tentacle, and ducking low to avoid the third. He had to release his spear in the process, so Ronald closed in while drawing his dagger. He leapt forwards, shoulder-first, and tackled the Elder Scylla to the ground. Before the Elder Scylla could react, he brought the dagger down onto the centre of her chest.

The dagger slipped on the mucus, doing nothing more than a minor cut.

Tentacles wrapped around Ronald, binding his limbs so tightly that there was no chance of him escaping. They brought him face to face with the Elder Scylla.

"You have some fight in you, hm?" the Elder Scylla said. She gently placed the tip of a tentacle on Ronald's cheek – then pulled it away with enough force to tear off the skin. "I'll beat that out of you soon enough. I'm not like some of my friends, I don't care about my prey being strong. Prey is prey, nothing more – "

Blood suddenly sprayed from the Elder Scylla's neck. She quickly put her hand on the wound in an attempt to stem the bleeding, only for a second wound to open on the other side of her neck. She collapsed.

As Ronald freed himself from the tentacles, he saw a succubus appear from what seemed to be thin air, clutching a bloody dagger in one hand. He recognised her: she was Eva, an old friend he'd known from childhood and with whom he'd shared some unforgettable nights.

"Are you okay?" Eva asked, helping Ronald get to his feet. She looked at the flayed part of his cheek and growled. "Dammit, if only I was faster – "

"This is nothing, we have bigger things to worry about," Ronald said. "Anyway, you've gotten a lot better at turning invisible."

"I have to concentrate on the wind and on nothing else, so it's still pretty hard to use in battle," Eva said. "We have to – wait, what the hell is that!?"

Ronald snatched up his spear. It took him only a second longer to realise, even with his weak sense for magic, the powerful presence that had drawn Eva's attention. If the monsters currently attacking the town were sparks, this was a raging fire that could consume entire forests.

The two of them nervously ran towards the docks, the direction of the presence, and learned what it was: an immense sea dragon, carrying a trident in one hand. The wyverns and sea monsters cheered at her presence, while the town's defenders faltered underneath her imperious gaze.

There wasn't time for Ronald to attack, flee or do anything else. The sea dragon simply raised her spear, summoning a massive wave that raced across the town, engulfing everything.

-ooo-

" – should not have taken you so long to capture the town."

"My – My apologies, milady Leviathan, but we – "

"My role is to command this joint force, not to personally step in to solve your problems. If you can't even capture a town with no proper army defending it, then perhaps I should – "

Ronald realised that he was still alive, something that shouldn't have been possible. As a resident of a port town, Ronald was familiar with the devastating power that waves could have, and the one created by the sea dragon was large enough to destroy buildings – there should have been no chance of him surviving.

He opened his eyes. He was in a room with wooden walls, ceiling and floor – a ship, judging from the constant swaying – and his hands were in shackles. There were seven other men in the room, all still unconscious. The wall opposite Ronald consisted of iron bars, allowing him to see the people on the other side: the powerful sea dragon from before, and a wyvern.

The sea dragon –presumably the one referred to as Leviathan – glanced at the cell and said, "Ah, so one has awoken. I apologise for the poor accommodation, but there's so many of you that we need to transport."

"What are – where are you taking us?" Ronald asked, his voice weak. "How are we even alive?"

"We are taking you to Hellgondo, as prisoners of war – you needn't worry, for you will be treated well," Leviathan said. "As for your survival, that was due to my skill with water magic."

Ronald looked past the invaders to see more cells on the other side of a corridor. However, all of the prisoners he could see were men.

"Wait… where are the others!?" Ronald asked.

"I had no reason to take them alive," Leviathan replied bluntly.

"You killed even your fellow monsters!?" Ronald said, standing up and pressing himself against the bars. "How could you – "

Leviathan raised one hand. Suddenly, Ronald floated into the air while experiencing terrible agony, as though his own blood was trying to tear itself out of his veins. He realised, to his horror, that she was manipulating the water in his body.

"Those who oppose us are not fellow monsters, only enemies," Leviathan said. "They will surrender to us, or they will die."

-ooo-

Rosa woke up suddenly. She reached for her staff, which she always kept near her bed – even if it was a reminder of a past she preferred to leave behind, she couldn't sleep properly without it.

 _This feeling… a powerful mage, monster, suppressing their power… not far from here…_

After a moment of deliberation, Rosa walked out of her shop. Her joints ached slightly with every step, and her old eyes could see very little in this darkness, but her sense for magic was just as keen as in her youth. She cast a quick spell on herself to become silent and almost invisible, then followed the trail to a dark alley.

An arachne – specifically a Wolf Spider Girl, judging from the shape of her lower body – was crouched in the alley, lifting handfuls of something to her mouth. Rosa couldn't see anything more than that, but the smell of blood and the sound of chewing told her everything she needed to know.

Rosa raised her staff and sent out a blade of wind. The blade shot through the air, without producing the slightest sound, and hit the Wolf Spider Girl in her unarmoured neck, decapitating her.

 _Monsters with natural armour, like arachnes, often think themselves invincible and let down their guard. But any armour has gaps for mobility, gaps that can be exploited by even weak attacks – hm!?_

To her horror, Rosa realised that the Wolf Spider Girl hadn't been alone. Now that her senses were no longer dulled from having just woken up, she realised that there were more than a dozen similar presences… and that was just within the range of what she could sense. Moreover, the others would soon realise that their companion was dead, if they hadn't already.

Rosa had been keeping herself appraised of world affairs, so she knew of the growing tensions between humans and monsters. She therefore wasn't surprised that the tensions had escalated to all-out war… though she'd hoped that it would not reach this point.

First, Rosa had to warn the people of Grangold. She began by opening a telepathic link with someone she hadn't contacted in more than twenty years: Aegis, the captain of the royal knights.

 _Huh? What is…_ Aegis said. _Wait – Rosa! If you're calling me at this time, then –_

 _The city is under attack by arachnes, and possibly other monsters,_ Rosa said. _There are around fifteen – no, at least twenty in the northern district, where I am, and probably more elsewhere._

 _Got it,_ Aegis said, and Rosa could just picture him jumping out of bed, putting on the bare minimum of armour, and snatching up his sword. _It's a shame that we don't have time to catch up._

 _We can always meet up after this,_ Rosa said.

Aegis didn't reply, and Rosa didn't want to push the issue, so she broke off the link.

Next was to warn the civilians. Rosa focused and sent out a telepathic pulse that would wake up even the deepest sleeper within a distance of several blocks. This would remove the arachnes' advantage of surprise, but that wasn't enough on its own. To truly turn the situation around, Rosa would need to distract the arachnes until the knights and city watch were able to fully mobilise.

Fortunately, the telepathic pulse would also attract the attention of every arachne within its range.

Rosa gripped her staff tightly. As she sensed the presences closing in, she gave a small smile.

 _When I retired from being a royal mage, I thought I'd never fight again. But I've grown to love this city and its people. Those who were foolish enough to attack this city: I will show you why they once called me the Rending Gale!_

-ooo-

Acera, the current Queen Vampire, was standing on the summit of a hill overlooking Grand Noah. It was currently around midnight, but the darkness was no hindrance to her eyes. She saw that most of the city's population had retreated to their homes, leaving only a few guards on the walls. It was the perfect time for them to attack.

Behind Acera was a combined army of vampires and harpies, numbering over six hundred in all. Vampires were a natural choice for this mission, since they could see in the dark and use their cloaks to blend into shadows. On the other hand, Harpies normally refused to be active at night – with the exception of the nocturnal races such as Owl Girls – but the advantages of attacking diurnal humans at night were too great to miss, so for this mission the harpies had received a spell to improve their night vision.

However, the Queen Vampire was not the leader of this army. She would have preferred this to be the case, as it would give her greater opportunity to gain achievements in battle and thus raise her position, but she had no choice in the matter. The leader of the harpies was by far her superior, in personal strength and in experience.

"Now is an excellent time to begin our assault, wouldn't you agree?" Fenghuang said.

"It certainly is," Acera said.

"As long as you follow my orders, we should prevail."

"…Yes," Acera replied, resisting the urge to punch the harpy right in the middle of her arrogant face.

Fenghuang gave the signal for the assault to begin. The vampires and harpies spread their wings – in the case of the vampires, these wings were extensions of their cloaks – and took flight. They moved to their respective positions above the city. Acera, Fenghuang and other powerful monsters were above Grand Noah Castle, while the rest were evenly spread out over the rest of the city.

As one, the mass of flying monsters descended. And as one, they were repelled by the colossal barrier of golden light that suddenly appeared, covering the whole city.

"What the hell – how did they prepare something like this!?" Acera shouted.

"It seems we underestimated the humans… they prepared for war, just as we did," Fenghuang said. She called out to the rest of the army, "Worry not, I can dispel a barrier of this level."

Fenghuang brought the tips of her wings together, forming between them a sphere of dark energy. The sphere expanded slowly, not reaching its full size even after ten seconds had passed.

"How much longer will this take!?" Acera demanded, nervously watching the city guards rushing into defensive positions. She wasn't afraid of the humans, but fighting a prepared resistance would be tedious.

"Patience, there is no chance of us – wait, what is that?" Fenghuang said.

Acera turned to notice that _something_ was approaching them, and fast. The harpies and vampires converged on the intruder, only to be knocked aside like sparrows before a dragon.

"Whatever they are, stop them," Fenghuang ordered. "Any interruptions will force me to restart this casting."

"You don't need to tell me that!" Acera said.

Acera flew out to meet the intruder. She realised that they were covered in a barrier of wind, yet they also had the power of the earth within them – a difficult combination to master. The barrier of wind obscured their appearance, so she wasn't sure whether they were a human or monster.

"Take this – the lightning of a Queen Vampire!"

Acera thrust both hands forward, producing a barrage of lightning bolts. Each individual bolt was powerful enough to split a tree and fast enough that they could not be dodged, and there were several bolts every second. But to Acera's horror, the mysterious intruder was merely slowed down by the lightning barrage, continuing to approach ever closer to her.

Just as the intruder reached melee range, Acera formed her cloak into a shield. A sword pierced through the cloak and through Acera's body. The layer of wind surrounding the sword shredded Acera's insides.

 _No – I can't die here!_

Acera transformed her body into a swarm of bats. Against most opponents, this would allow her to retreat and counterattack. Unfortunately, this was no ordinary opponent.

The intruder unleashed a small tornado from their sword, sucking in and killing every last one of the bats.

-ooo-

Fenghuang broke off her spell and flapped her wings, creating a gust of wind that struck the intruder head-on. Though they withstood the attack, their barrier of wind was temporarily weakened, allowing Fenghuang to see their true identity: a human male, slightly small in stature and with purple hair.

"Who are you?" Fenghuang asked. "I have not heard of a human with such power."

"That doesn't matter!" the human shouted back. "Why are you attacking Grand Noah!?"

"It is the Monster Lord's decree," Fenghuang replied dispassionately.

The human seemed especially angered by this, for the wind around them grew explosively. "If you're going to lie, pick something better than that!"

The human shot towards Fenghuang, who responded with another gust of wind – except that this was an order of magnitude more powerful. It sent the human flying beyond the edge of the city, out of view.

"Was that the best this city has to offer?" Fenghuang said. "Now then – argh!"

Arrows, enchanted with all manner of magical effects, flew at Fenghuang from all directions. Each was no more than a pinprick to her, yet they could not be ignored. The sheer volume of arrows meant that they would eventually cause fatal injuries, and she could not dodge them while gathering the power needed to dispel the barrier. This was the reason that powerful monsters still fought alongside their armies – and at this moment, the remainder of Fenghuang's army was fleeing due to the unexpectedly strong resistance.

Gritting her teeth, Fenghuang retreated.

-ooo-

Galea crept closer to the small desert village. She was a Solifuge Girl: one of the many types of monsters who called the Safina desert home, with a lower body that resembled that of an arachne's but with a pair of massive fangs at the front that she used to eviscerate her prey. She was currently part of the Monster Lord's army.

The past year had been very eventful for this part of the world. After the killing of the ancient Sandworm Girl, the desert monsters had organised into large groups in preparation for an invasion by Sabasa. In response, Sabasa had fortified itself, expanding its army more than twofold. Then the Monster Lord had been assassinated by the cowardly tricks of humans, filling many monsters with thoughts of revenge. This event led the desert monsters to send envoys to the World Tree, an immense tree on an island off the west coast of the Safina region, and form and alliance with the plant monsters there. The next Monster Lord showed herself to be far more aggressive, declaring war on the humans a few days ago. As a result, the desert and plant monsters had joined in the war, launching coordinated attacks on villages and towns all over Safina.

However, they couldn't fight the humans in open battle. Neither the desert nor the plant monsters were particularly numerous – it didn't matter that one monster was a match for five human soldiers if there were ten or twenty humans for every monster. That wasn't even taking into consideration the traitorous monsters that would fight for the humans, or the walls and other fortifications they had. Consequently, the loyal monsters needed to fight using guerrilla tactics.

Galea was carrying a bag filled with a powder made from fool's meal – a type of herb containing a slow-acting poison that caused temporary paralysis but was not lethal. Her mission was to sneak into the village and dump the powder into the well. It would take several days for the first symptoms to appear, long enough for all of the villagers to consume a lethal dose. Then the loyalist army could occupy the village with no resistance.

Although the land around the village was flat and almost bare of cover, Galea was able to approach without anyone detecting her. This was thanks to her traits as a Solifuge Girl: her mottled brown colouration allowed her to blend into the desert sand, and her specially-designed legs allowed her to dart between the few pieces of cover without creating any sound or kicking up sand. These traits had served her well in her previous lifestyle – stealthily hunting and preying on desert travellers – and they had led her to be chosen for this mission.

 _If I do well on this mission, perhaps I'll be rewarded with first pick of the spoils,_ Galea thought. _I'll go for the brawniest one – they can be drained for a long time, and have plenty of meat, and –_

The instant Galea entered the village, an ear-piercing screech filled the air. A nearby group of villagers spotted Galea, who was hiding in the shadow of a house, and charged at her while wielding farm tools.

 _An alarm!? When did they – no, it doesn't matter! I can handle these weaklings on my own!_

Galea drew a dagger. She tripped up the first man with a sweep of a leg, stabbed the second in the throat, punched the third with enough force to shatter his skull, and cut the fourth in half with her fangs. She turned back to the first man and stomped on his leg to break it and prevent him from escaping.

"You happen to suit my tastes… wait here, I'll come back for you," Galea said, looking down at the terrified man. "I'll take my time savouring you – "

Sensing danger, Galea jumped to the side. A sword sliced through the air where she had just been.

The newcomer was a dragonkin, and not one of those who wandered the desert as bandits. This dragonkin wore a suit of polished armour and carried a sword, both products of a trained blacksmith. This was one of the monsters who had betrayed the Monster Lord in exchange for the meagre luxuries provided by human civilisation.

"For daring to attack this village and slay innocents – you will taste my blade!" The dragonkin knight roared.

"As if I'd lose to someone like you!" Galea retorted.

Galea scurried around to the other side of the house, seemingly to escape the dragonkin. She quickly climbed up to the roof.

 _Dragons have a reputation for being invincible, but that's only to humans,_ Galea thought. _To other monsters, who are strong enough to pierce their scales, they have plenty of weak points! And someone who lived a pampered life in a human city won't have any idea of how to truly fight!_

Galea pounced, aiming for the dragonkin's neck. With the assistance of gravity, she would be able to take off the head in one strike.

The dragonkin whirled around and impaled Galea on her sword.

"I warned you," the dragonkin said calmly. She kicked Galea off her sword. "Unlike you, I don't delight in tormenting my enemies. Die."

 _Dammit… I can't believe someone this strong is stationed here…_ Galea thought. _Wait… if this small village warrants this much protection – then the others must also be –_

The dragonkin brought down her sword, ending Galea's life.

-ooo-

"And… done! The behavioural sequence of an assassin bug attacking its prey, all recorded!" Akame Artiste declared.

The past week had been rewarding for Akame. She was currently in a small uninhabited forest in the Natalia region, studying the behaviour of predatory insects. It was far better than her previous work, which was on the role of flies in the decomposition of dead animals. That work was admittedly useful, but Akame hated it because the smell of decomposing flesh brought up unpleasant memories.

Akame shook her head. Now was not the time to get lost in the past. She reviewed her notes.

 _First stage: the bug detects its prey and turns towards it. Second stage: the bug slowly approaches its prey. Third stage: upon reaching the prey, the bug lifts its forelegs and swings its rostrum forward, then attempts to capture it. Fourth stage: the bug uses its rostrum to inject a venom into the prey that paralyses it and liquefies its insides. Fifth stage: the bug sucks out the liquid with its rostrum, a process that can take over an hour._

While she was reading, Akame felt a sense of unease. It was vague in origin at first, so she attempted to dismiss it, but the feeling grew stronger over time. Eventually, she realised what it was: the stench of the undead, the same stench she had tried to escape.

Akame stood up and left her small shelter. Approaching from all directions was a horde of zombies, made from both humans and monsters, numbering over fifty in all. Furthermore, these zombies didn't have obvious stitches or any of the other flaws associated with amateur work; they were perfect killing machines that could only be created by one who stood at the peak of necromancy.

"…So you finally decided to bother chasing me, mother?" Akame said.

A living succubus stepped out from the middle of the horde. Like Akame, she had purple skin and conical horns and wore a white lab coat, but her hair was dark blue instead of Akame's vibrant red. She looked at Akame with the dispassionate gaze of a scientist examining their experimental subject.

"If it was up to me, I would never have bothered with you," Aome Artiste said. "But the situation has forced me to retrieve you."

"'The situation' – what are you talking about?" Akame asked.

"The Monster Lord Alipheese the Seventh was killed four months ago," Aome said. "The public explanation is that she was assassinated by a human acting on the order of the Church of Ilias – though I suspect that the true perpetrators were her own political enemies. The truth is irrelevant. The important part is that the new Monster Lord, Alipheese the Eighth, has declared war on humanity and she is also far more lenient towards my craft, allowing me to perform research that simply was not feasible under the previous Monster Lord. After all, when I was sneaking into graveyards to collect a few corpses at a time, I could never obtain enough materials for a proper sample size. But now?" Aome gestured to the horde of zombies. "There is no end to the supply of corpses. All I did was participate in a series of raids, in a joint effort with forces from the South Sea Temple, and I was permitted to claim as many of the casualties as I wished."

Akame clenched her fist tightly enough to draw blood. "And now that your name is suddenly worth a lot more, you can't afford to let your only heir run around doing as she pleases."

"Partly correct. Even if you refuse to uphold the family tradition and play with literal insects, you are still an Artiste," Aome said. "However… you overstate your importance as an individual. If you had died before I could find you, I would have simply birthed a replacement. There are plenty of living prisoners of war, I would have selected a suitably intelligent mate from among them."

"You – what?" Akame said, her blood running cold.

"If an heir is inadequate, it is common sense to create another one," Aome said. "I have never cared for social interactions: if I desire something, I simply take it by force if possible. That principle applies also to obtaining sperm to inseminate myself. Your father was a scholar who I took from San Ilia, had intercourse with until I confirmed my pregnancy, then used as experimental materials."

Akame collapsed to her knees, unable to find any words to respond.

"You will return to the mansion with me and resume your education as the heir to the Artiste name," Aome said. "You do not have a choice in this matter, I have tolerated your foolishness for long enough."

The zombies growled menacingly. It was a redundant display: Akame was no fighter, even one of these zombies would be a threat to her.

Akame stood up unsteadily, and followed her mother out of the forest.

-ooo-

Matthias finished his sermon to the believers. The sermon had contained the same message for the past half year: to take up arms and drive out the monsters, in the name of Ilias.

As a priest on the Ilias continent, Matthias had experienced a crisis of faith for much of his career. Ilias' first and most important commandment was clear: "Thou shalt not have intercourse with monsters". But even on this continent, the heart of the faith, monsters were allowed to enter human towns and human men would willingly mate with them, barely even trying to keep their depravities a secret. And the situation on the Sentora continent, even the holy city of San Ilia, was even worse, with human-monster couples being a public and common sight. The other priests either twisted the interpretation of the commandment or outright ignored it. Matthias had always known this was wrong, but he was only a junior priest and lacked the strength to question his superiors.

But six months ago, Matthias had seen something that lifted him out of his despair: a vision of the Goddess Ilias herself. It was no mere dream, for her beauty and splendour exceeded any of her statues, exceeded anything Matthias' imagination could have produced. The Goddess had spoken to him, and even now he remembered every single word.

"You are a true believer, one who has remembered my commandments even as all around you forget their vows and descend into sin. But I have not given up hope on my dear children: I believe there is still the chance of redemption, and I desire your help in achieving this. Go to your flock, and preach the truth of my commandments. Preach that monsters are not the allies of humanity, but vile demons that must be fought and scoured from this earth. It will be a difficult task, but do not lose heart, for you will be rewarded for your efforts. Go… you have my blessing."

After hearing these words, Matthias had been filled with a manic energy. He wrote out his next sermon and gave it the very next morning. Of course, the initial reception had been far from favourable, with several shouting that he was spitting lies to foment hatred.

But later events had proved Matthias correct. The bodies of murdered humans began appearing in several villages, with wounds that were clearly the work of monsters. The humans had attempted to approach the monsters about this issue, treating them as rational beings, but the monsters had lashed out, thus demonstrating their true savage natures. Now enlightened, the believers flooded into the churches to listen to the sermons of Matthias and other priests who had likewise remembered the true faith.

The plan had been to contact San Ilia to have its king announce a holy war on the monsters. This was pre-empted by the monsters making their own declaration of war. However, this was actually convenient, as it drove many who would normally be undecided into joining Ilias' cause.

There were only a few things that Matthias was dissatisfied with. The first was that many humans had sided with the monsters – even if they had chosen the path of sin, Matthias was still uncomfortable with causing the deaths of so many of his fellows. The second was that some monsters continued to be permitted by the humans on Sentora, going against the very meaning of this war – Matthias could only presume that it was part of Ilias' unknowable plan.

Matthias decided to go to bed early. Tomorrow, a shipment of refugees would be arriving from Natalia. As the priest of the Iliasport church, it was his duty to care for them, organising the distribution of food and drawing upon Ilias' power to heal any who were sick or injured. Even if Matthias had no ability to fight, he could still play his part in the war.

When Matthias opened the door to his room, he saw a woman sitting on his bed, one wearing a blue hooded cloak.

"What the – are you a monster assassin!?" Matthias shouted. He recalled the rumours, of succubi who used their foul magics to infiltrate human towns and –

"Sorry, but you couldn't be more wrong," the woman said.

The woman stood up and removed her cloak. Brilliant white wings extended from her back, while a golden halo appeared above her head.

"I am Seraph Lucifina, the second angel created by Ilias."

"I – my apologies – for an angel to appear before me – this is an incredible honour!" Matthias said, quickly prostrating himself.

Very few humans ever had the privilege of meeting an angel in person. Seraphs, the highest of all angels, had not descended to the surface world since the Great Monster Wars. And one of them was in front of him!

"You see, I have a question for you," Lucifina said.

"I – I am only a minor priest, but if you so desire, I will do everything in my power to answer," Matthias said.

"I need to kill you and make it look like monsters did it," Lucifina said casually. "Do you have any ideas on how to make it look as realistic as possible?"

"I must have misheard, I – I thought you just said – "

"You didn't mishear anything – I need to kill you and frame monsters for it to make humans hate monsters more," Lucifina said. "After all, a priest like you who's been spouting off about waging war on monsters, it makes perfect sense that they'd want to kill you. And shouldn't you be happy about this? You get to become a martyr for your beloved Ilias."

Matthias tried to flee, but the door slammed shut as though pulled by an invisible hand.

"Don't bother shouting either, no one will be able to hear you," Lucifina said. "Anyway, I can sweeten the deal. If you go along with this, I'm sure Ilias will reward you with one of the ninth-circle angels. How's twenty thousand years of non-stop sex sound?"

"You're no angel!" Matthias said. "No angel would speak such blatant lies about the Goddess!"

Lucifina sighed. "You idiots are all the same. The moment you see what Ilias and angels are really like, you refuse to accept it."

Fuelled by desperation, Matthias charged at the false angel. Lucifina casually backhanded him, sending his body flying at the opposing wall. Matthias collided with the solid wood and fell to the floor.

Matthias could not move nor feel any pain, presumably due to a severe head injury. Considering what happened to him next, this could only be a blessing.


	26. Chapter 25: Fires of War

Heinrich sat in the middle of a clearing, eyes closed. He attempted to empty his mind and entrust himself to the flow of the world around him. Suddenly, water splashed against his face.

"Another failure," Undine said. "If you truly had a serene mind, you would be able to read the flow and dodge these attacks without using your sight. I think you need to take a break."

"No, I can keep going," Heinrich insisted.

"It's been an hour already, you have to stop!" Sylph said.

"No, I have to keep going, I'm still not strong enough – "

Heinrich was interrupted by a cool sensation on his face: Undine prying open his eyes.

"I won't continue this training any longer," Undine said. "With your heart still disturbed, it is impossible for you to make any progress with my power."

With no other option, Heinrich reluctantly agreed to stop. He stood up to have a simple lunch.

It had been four months since Heinrich's battle in the skies above Grand Noah. He'd spent the time recuperating from his injuries and training with the power of water. His loss to the powerful harpy back then had given him an obsession with becoming stronger, to prevent such a thing from happening again… or so he claimed. The spirits were well aware of the real reason he had thrown himself into training: to escape from the truth.

At the time, Heinrich hadn't believed the harpy's claim that the Monster Lord desired the attack on Grand Noah. He thought it was just the work of a rogue faction of monsters. But then he heard of the similar attacks on human settlements in every region of Sentora, all conducted by organised armies rather than small groups of raiders. The Mary that Heinrich had known would have personally flown out to stop these attacks. Instead, she remained in her castle and rumours spread around the world of her nickname "Black Alice" and the brutal action that had given her that name.

Heinrich felt something in his hand crack. He looked down to see that he'd crushed his wooden bowl. Sighing in exasperation, he stood up. "I need to go for a quick flight, clear my head," he said.

The three spirits returned to his head and, after quickly cloaking himself, Heinrich took off.

They were currently in the eastern part of the Gold region, some distance from Grangold. The land below Heinrich was all crop fields. Now was the harvest season, but the majority of the farmers had either joined the army or fled before the arrival of the monsters. The few farmers remaining couldn't do all of the necessary labour, leaving most of the crop to rot in the fields. As someone from a rural village, Heinrich was pained by the sight.

But what could Heinrich do? He had more power than most – probably all other humans, and most monsters, but he still wasn't capable of defeating the strongest of monsters. And even ignoring the issue of power, he wasn't sure who he should be fighting, or if he should even fight at all.

 _Mary – though she goes by Alice now, I guess – wouldn't be doing these things without a reason,_ Heinrich thought. _There has to be some good reason for all this – maybe she's still not in full control of the court yet, or it's a plan to purge the more militaristic elements, or –_

 _Heinrich,_ Undine interjected. _You cannot keep losing yourself in these rationalisations, you must make a decision soon. There are three options: to fight for the humans, to fight for the monsters, and to avoid fighting._

 _The first is the obvious option, to oppose the aggressor in this war. I have never met Alipheese the Eight in person, so I can only say that, in my own experience, people often change when in positions of power._

 _The second would allow you to fight on the same side as your lover. This would solve some of your emotional issues, but I cannot say if it would solve all of them._

 _The third may seem cowardly, but never forget that it is also a viable option. Even with all of your power, your knowledge of the world's situation is incomplete. Acting on incomplete knowledge can often cause more harm than doing nothing, even if many works of fiction would have you believe otherwise._

 _However, whichever one you choose, you must first explain why you chose it and convince the three of us that it is the ideal one to take._

After hearing these words, Heinrich landed in the middle of the field. He looked up at the sky and took several deep breaths.

 _…Okay._

 _You seem to be taking this better than I expected,_ Undine said.

 _I've had a lot of time to think about it,_ Heinrich replied. _I'm a bit surprised that Sylph or Gnome haven't said anything._

 _We agree with Deeny, it's just that she's better at explaining these kinds of things than we are,_ Sylph explained.

Heinrich spent several minutes deep in thought. He recalled all of the places he'd visited and the people he'd met, one by one. He recalled the devastation caused by monsters raiding a village – once uncommon, but in these times it was an everyday sight.

Finally, Heinrich made his decision. _I'm going to fight to protect the humans – but not to kill all the monsters, like the Ilias fanatics want. I know that most monsters in this war don't truly want to fight, they only do so because they think the humans will kill them if they don't. I want to try to bring about peace between the two sides._

 _That sounds like an excellent goal… but how do you plan on carrying it out?_ Gnome asked.

 _The old stories often describe armies being killed to the last soldier, but now I know that's not true. It's much more common for armies to rout after some of them are killed, their leaders are killed, or both,_ Heinrich said. _And with my power, I can even avoid killing weaker monsters, just knocking them down and perhaps breaking a limb is enough. I can't do that with stronger ones, but from what I've seen so far the stronger ones tend to be the leaders and most in favour of the war._

 _Mmhm, and what next?_ Sylph asked with an encouraging tone.

 _In war, the main goal is to break the enemy's spirit to fight. Killing their soldiers is the normal way to achieve that, but think about it: defeating soldiers without killing them, which requires even greater skill, would be even more demoralising,_ Heinrich continued. _On top of that, killing often leads to people's loved ones wanting revenge on their killers. If more people come home from the battlefield, then they won't think they need to fight for their lives. At the very least, they'll be more willing to talk, so I should be able to find out more about this war – about what she's thinking. On the other side, fighting for the humans will allow me to gain the favour of their leaders and hopefully find out what's happening there – something's suspicious about all those incidents down in the Ilias continent._

 _That explanation is sufficient,_ Undine said. _We will be proud to lend you our power for this cause._

 _Alright, things are getting exciting now!_ Sylph exclaimed. _Heinrich, it's time for you to make your debut as a hero straight from the legends!_

 _That – That might be expecting too much from me,_ Heinrich said. _Anyway, it's time to move._

Heinrich leaped into the air and flew to the west, as fast as he could manage without tiring himself. From what he'd heard, a monster army would be sent out from Gold Port to attempt to take Grangold, and Grangold would send its own army out to intercept them. He had to stop them from clashing.

-ooo-

The sound of a horn filled the air, signalling the soldiers of the Grangold army to stop for their midday break.

Maxwell was grateful for the chance to just take off his pack and sit down. Marching for hours on end while carrying weapons, armour and backpack was incredibly exhausting. And he was actually one of the more fortunate ones – he didn't envy those poor souls who had to march through scorching deserts or steep mountain ranges.

Along with the rest of his platoon, Maxwell had lunch: bread, cheese and dried fruit. It was coarser fare than he'd eaten in his previous life as a stonemason, but it filled the belly and also preserved well.

Maxwell then began inspecting his equipment to make sure it was up to standard: checking his bowstring for any frayed threads, his arrows for any damaged fletching, his dagger to make sure that the edge was still sharp. This was a duty that had been thoroughly drilled into him by his training officer, via a series of stories about those who failed to do so and thus died horrible deaths. Now he could perform this task almost on instinct.

Privately, Maxwell thought that these stories were exaggerated or even outright false. Still, he understood why his trainer had told them to the recruits. Battle was a dangerous enough affair on its own, there was no reason to increase the danger further by using poorly maintained equipment.

Once he was finished with maintenance, Maxwell stood up and walked away. The other members of his platoon had begun gambling with thrown dice, wagering anything and everything that they were willing to part with. Maxwell abstained from such games because of an embarrassing loss in his youth.

Maxwell walked aimlessly through the resting army, taking in the sights.

There were the knights of Grangold, who numbered nearly two hundred in all. They were currently wearing normal clothing instead of armour – if they wore their armour all the time like in stories, they would have all died of overheating already. They were still eating their lunches, which were notably larger and more luxurious than those given to the common soldiers. Personally, Maxwell doubted that they would contribute to the upcoming battle – the real fighting would be done by those who knew the value of hard work, not spoiled nobles like the knights.

In their own area were the mages. The robe-clad figures had always been distant from the rest of the army – there were still some who believed that they gained their powers through human sacrifice, or other such nonsense, even if these beliefs were less prevalent than before. Maxwell didn't hold these beliefs, but he was still unnerved by the strange aura that mages gave off. However, no proper commander would ever go into battle, especially battle with monsters, without the mages' reality-warping powers on their side.

And then there was the supply train. Hundreds upon hundreds of wagons, carrying food, clothing, tools, weapons, armour, arrows, medical supplies, magical catalysts and all of the other things necessary to keep a five thousand-strong army running. The wagons naturally needed pack animals to pull them, and these oxen, donkeys and mules outnumbered the horses ridden by the knights more than five to one. It was this supply train that limited the speed at which their army could march – though the same was true for their enemy.

The vast majority of the army was human, but there were monsters visible here and there. Some were from Grangold while others, judging from their limited to non-existent clothing, were from the wilderness. There had been minor opposition to the inclusion of monsters in the army, based on fears that they might be more loyal to the Monster Lord, but pragmatism won out as it had with the mages. Maxwell had interacted with monsters back when he was just a stonemason toiling away in Grangold, and this experience told him that they were worthy of trust.

Among all the disparate elements of the army, there was one common element: a belief that they would all soon die, or encounter an even worse fate. Throughout recorded history, there were almost no cases of a human or mainly human army defeating a monster army in open combat. There _were_ plenty of cases of humans winning when fighting from a fortified position. However, the monsters had recently been raiding the villages and towns scattered throughout the Gold region, and so the king had decreed that this army march out to stop them.

There were a range of ways in which people coped with the knowledge that their mission was borderline suicidal. Some, like the knights and the more aggressive monsters, attempted to use this to encourage themselves, apparently believing that the desperate odds would allow them to awaken some new power to turn the situation around. Some, like Maxwell's friends, played games in an effort to forget their imminent deaths. The majority, though, coped by simply following orders and doing their duties mechanically, keeping their eyes away from the future. Maxwell fell into this last category.

Maxwell decided to return to his group. When he was partway there, however, a harpy scout rushed towards the army, a look of abject terror on her face.

"They're coming!" the scout screamed. "Sound the alarm!"

The army exploded into a chaos of activity. Soldiers rushed towards their posts, often tripping over and swearing along the way, quickly donned their armour and snatched up their weapons. The general and other officers barked out orders, gradually bringing some semblance of order.

Eventually, the army was in formation. The spearmen formed the front and centre, the knights were on the left flank, the monsters on the right flank, and the archers, mages and supply train were in the rear. Less than two minutes later, the enemy came.

The first to appear over the crests of the hills were swift monsters: beasts, harpies, succubi, smaller insects. Then came the heavy hitters: lamias carrying heavy flails, dragonkin with swords and shields, vampires with daggers and their own cloaks, even a few club-wielding zombies. Less combat-oriented monsters, such as alraunes, were distributed throughout the army, presumably for support.

Upon seeing this army, Maxwell could not stop his hands shaking. There was only one army in the world with so many different races of monsters: the army of Hellgondo itself. The army that contained the strongest monsters in the world, the one that – together with the army of the North Sea – had captured Gold Port in the span of a single day.

An arachne walked to the front of the monster army. She was smaller than the average arachne, yet none of the monsters around her questioned her presence. She raised one hand… then pointed it forward.

The army of Hellgondo charged, like wolves towards a flock of sheep. In the lead were the fliers, who closed the distance rapidly.

Maxwell heard his commanding officer shout, "Archers, ready", at which point his training took over. He nocked an arrow to his bow, as did the other archers around him. The nearest mage cast some kind of spell, causing the tips of the archers' arrows to glow red. Then came the next order: "Fire!"

A practically solid mass of arrows filled the air, leaving the fliers with no room to dodge. The arrows struck the fliers and disappeared into flashes of light – the enemy's defensive spells. However, the sheer number of arrows began to overwhelm the defences, causing fliers to plummet from the sky in droves.

The two armies clashed. Maxwell couldn't see much due to the mass of soldiers in front of him, but he was able to see men being flung into the air and the flashes of offensive magic. He grit his teeth and focused on his own role, firing arrows as fast as possible.

The battle raged. The air was filled with battle-cries, the screams of the dying, the explosions of powerful spells. Flying monsters clashed in the skies above, fighting until they were eventually felled by an arrow or spell.

But it soon became clear that one side was gaining the upper hand… and it wasn't Maxwell's. The sounds of battle drew ever closer to his position. Some of the archers began to drop their gear and flee, the officers too preoccupied or too dead to stop them.

A succubus flew into view. Maxwell quickly aimed at her, but not quickly enough. The succubus's eyes glowed with a bewitching purple light. Maxwell and his allies collapsed to the ground, moaning in artificial ecstasy.

 _No… I can't stop now… until I've fired my last arrow… I can keep fighting!_

Suddenly, Maxwell sensed a commotion in the distance. He couldn't tell the exact direction, but there was definitely something that had changed.

The succubus looked in the direction of the commotion, then immediately turned and fled. Her magic faded, allowing Maxwell to stand up and see just what had terrified her so.

A small tornado – there was no other way to describe it – had crashed into the melee, sending monsters flying. The stronger monsters let out battle-cries and charged at the unexpected phenomenon, only to meet the same fate as their fellows.

Maxwell held onto his bow, unsure what to do. Should he take advantage of the distraction to resume firing at the enemy? Should he treat the newcomer – if it was even a person instead of some unnatural disaster – as an enemy and attack them? Or should he abandon his duty and flee?

When the tornado was close, Maxwell made his decision. He stood his ground and fired arrows at any enemy monster within sight. In the worst case scenario, he wouldn't be able to do anything to something so powerful, so he might as well take out as many of the enemy as he could.

The people around Maxwell all fled or were killed, leaving no more obstructions to his view. He could now glimpse the true nature of the tornado – and the sight caused him to freeze in place.

At the centre of the tornado, surrounded by the raging wind, was a human.

-ooo-

 _I wasn't fast enough,_ Heinrich thought.

 _That's not true!_ Sylph said. _It's these guys that were faster than expected. Right now, you have to focus on the fight!_

Heeding this advice, Heinrich continued to tear through the monsters like a scythe through grain. The army of Hellgondo may have been comprised of elites, but Heinrich could overpower its strongest soldiers and outmanoeuvre its fastest ones – such was his mastery over the earth and the wind.

And despite the chaos of the battle, Heinrich was able to take down enemies without killing them. Using the flat of his blade, gusts of wind and barrages of rocks, he knocked the monsters to the ground. While the monsters were able to get back up, they would now be surrounded by their similarly alive allies. The realisation that their enemy was powerful enough to spare them caused most to break and flee, while the few that continued to fight were surrounded by the remnants of Grangold's army.

But this did not last forever. While Heinrich was fighting three especially powerful lamias, a ball of orange light shot towards him, passing unhindered through his wind barrier and striking his body directly. Suddenly, everything around him started moving much faster. This included the trio of lamias, forcing Heinrich to leap out of the way of a flail.

 _They're faster? No – it's me that's slowed down!_ Heinrich realised.

 _Time magic!_ Gnome said. _Be careful, neither mine nor Sylph's powers can protect against it!_

Heinrich thrust his left hand forward, causing pillars of rock to erupt from the earth and knock down the lamias. He turned his attention towards the caster of the spell: the arachne who was leading the army.

"You're the Queen Spider, right?" Heinrich said, recognising the arachne from some of the rumours he'd heard.

"I am Portia, the strongest of all arachnes," Portia declared. "Whoever you are, you'll regret challenging me!"

Portia's body lit up with blue light. The arachne started moving, at a speed that actually surpassed Heinrich's, and firing a constant barrage of spells. However, she didn't give off the familiar sensation of wind – rather, she gave off a similar sensation to the spell she'd cast before.

 _Arachnes in general are skilled with time magic, and this one is more skilled than most,_ Undine analysed calmly. _Her strategy is to accelerate her own time while slowing that of her opponents, and exploiting the resulting advantage in speed._

 _Any ideas – on how to fight back?_ Heinrich asked, while frantically dodging the attacks.

 _With the power of water, you could purge your body of effects like this,_ Undine said. _Since you can't use it yet, then –_

Suddenly, a dragonkin grabbed Heinrich from behind. Under normal circumstances, Heinrich could have easily broken free, but he was still being attacked by Portia. He therefore threw himself back while increasing his weight using the earth's power. This caused the spells to fly over him while his increased weight knocked the breath out of the dragonkin.

After freeing himself, Heinrich sent out a wave of earth magic that caused the ground to have the consistency of freshly kneaded dough. Portia leaped into the air to escape the affected area – making her more vulnerable to Heinrich's next move. He gathered the wind to the edge of his blade and slashed, producing a blade of wind that struck the arachne, sending her flying. Then he took to the air and struck Portia with the flat of his blade, hammering her into the ground with such force that a crater was formed.

Both armies were silent as Heinrich descended to the ground. Then Heinrich used one hand to pick up Portia, who was badly injured but still alive, and yelled towards the army of Hellgondo, "Does anyone still want to fight!?" The army scattered and fled.

The Grangold army was in no state to pursue. Over a quarter of its number lay dead or dying on the field, a sight that made Heinrich's stomach churn.

 _Again, that's not true, Heinrich,_ Sylph said. _You can't be everywhere at once, not even with the speed of the wind._

 _Take comfort in those you managed to save,_ Gnome said.

 _…Thanks,_ Heinrich thought.

One of the officers of the Grangold army approached. He wasn't the general – the general was lying some distance away, his body almost torn in half – but it seemed that he was the highest-ranking officer remaining, and thus the one in command.

Heinrich let go of Portia and took a deep breath. On the way here, he'd discussed with the spirits how he would act in this situation.

"I've never seen anyone fight like you – are you a hero?" the officer asked.

"I'm no hero, nor have I received any blessing from Ilias," Heinrich said, trying to sound humble yet firm.

"I see. Anyway, I can't thank you enough – if you hadn't arrived, all of us would be dead or in chains," the officer said. "If you come back with us to Grangold, you'll definitely be rewarded handsomely – "

"I fight not for reward, but to preserve as many lives as possible and bring about peace," Heinrich said. He pointed at Portia. "I only ask that you take this prisoner with you."

"We can certainly do that, but is that really all you want?" the officer asked. "You would get more than just a knighthood, you might even – "

"I appreciate the offer, but I must decline. There is always another battle happening someplace else, even at this very moment," Heinrich said. "If I must make a request, then let it be this: remember to follow the rules of war. The enemy is not some mindless force of evil, they are people as much as you or me, with their own reasons for fighting. Treat your prisoners of war well, and they will be more inclined to treat theirs well. Then, hopefully, we can end this war with less bloodshed."

The officer nodded his head. "I'll do what I can to see that request fulfilled. Farewell, and may the fortunes of war be with you."

Heinrich jumped into the air and began flying south. He sighed, letting the tension out of his body. _Talking like that was surprisingly hard._

 _I thought those words were suitable, but in hindsight I have not interacted with the outside world for some time, so they may have been antiquated…_ Undine said.

 _Still, it sounded like something a hero would say!_ Sylph said.

 _Perhaps you should speak more informally next time, Heinrich,_ Gnome suggested.

Heinrich listened to the spirits banter, as he flew towards the Safina region.

-ooo-

In the audience hall of the Monster Lord's Castle, Sköll reported the latest news to Alice VIII.

"We finally heard why Plansect hasn't been responding to orders. Turns out, they had a rebellion and the rebels have sided with the humans. The reason we didn't hear anything from them before is because they were still fighting up until a couple of months ago."

Alice VIII brought a cup of tea to her mouth, taking a sip. "Well, that's a shame. I guess we'll just have to send someone over there to remind them of who they should be loyal to."

"That… might be a problem," Sköll said. "You remember how, three days ago, you ordered the remaining vampires to go to Yamatai and make an example of them, since they also haven't been responding to orders? Well, that completely failed. There were six hundred before, now there's less than three hundred, and they're too scared to fight any more. They kept screaming about some massive fire spell that burned half of them to a crisp in an instant. They didn't even get to see who did it."

"Oh? That must have taken a lot of power. Even I would have trouble casting a spell of that magnitude," Alice VIII said. "Someone like that definitely needs to join us!"

Sköll thought back to her mother and her teachings. Specifically, how her mother had told her of the ancient fox that dwelled in the far east and that she should never, under any circumstances, cross her. Considering that Sköll's mother had been willing to defy the Monster Lord of the time…

"I don't think that's a good idea, Your Majesty," Sköll said. "It's better to leave Plansect and Yamatai alone for now. We can deal with them after we've won this war."

And when that time came, Sköll thought, she would do everything in her power to avoid being the one sent to Yamatai.

"Hmm… very well, then," Alice VIII said, twirling a lock of her golden hair around a finger. "Is there anything else important?"

"There's the army that was sent to take Grangold… they lost, with the Queen Spider getting captured," Sköll said. "According to every single one of the survivors I've talked to, they attacked the Grangold army and were winning at first, only for one person to fly in and instantly turn things around. From what I've figured out, this person was a human man, but with more power than any human I've ever heard of. But the survivors have a hundred different ideas about who he was – some of them even think that it was actually one of the Six Ancestors in disguise, here to punish them – that's how shaken they are."

The loss was especially grating for Sköll as some of her own pack-mates had been in that army. Originally, Sköll had proposed herself as the commander of this army. However, Portia had begged for the chance to compensate for her previous failure in taking Grangold, so the Monster Lord had instead put the arachne in command. Sköll was certain that this loss would never have happened with her in command.

 _Enough dwelling on the past,_ Sköll thought. _I haven't come this far without learning how to turn failures into opportunities._

"Anyway, with all of the losses we've had recently, I want to propose something to help us recover," Sköll said. "It's something that your mother, the great Alipheese the Seventh, refused a couple of decades ago, but times change. So far it's been us monsters doing the actual fighting in this war, and I think the humans on our side, the men in particular, could do more to help. Right now the men are allowed to mate with whoever they want, or to not mate at all, so there's a lot of waste happening. Instead of that, we should start assigning men to monsters. If our warriors can feed as much as they need, then they'll heal from their wounds faster, be more pumped-up to fight, and – "

"And in the long term, the monster birth rate will increase," Alice VIII finished. "It's a tempting proposal, I must admit… but no. I refuse."

"Can I ask why, You Majesty?" Sköll said, keeping her tone level.

"From a standpoint of pure efficiency, there's nothing wrong with your proposal," Alice VIII said. "But to be frank, it's not fun in the slightest! And as you know, I prefer to go for the fun option when possible."

"Yes, but – but during war, sometimes it's necessary to – "

"You believe in the traditional ways of monsters, don't you?" Alice VIII asked. "The philosophy of freedom that the ancient monsters followed?"

"I do, but I don't see what that has to do with this issue," Sköll said.

"Think about it – freedom means having the ability to do whatever you wish, to follow only your own desires," Alice VIII said. "It's a good philosophy, one that separates us from the angels and their control freak of a goddess. But if you're not allowed to choose who you can be with, can you really be said to be free?"

"No," Sköll admitted reluctantly. "But even freedom has its – what's the word? – limits. You wouldn't suggest that we give our prisoners of war freedom, would you?"

"I wouldn't, but the men we are discussing are not prisoners, they are our own citizens," Alice VIII said. "And even from a purely pragmatic perspective, reducing our own citizens' rights would make them hate us and potentially assist our enemies. The proposal is rejected, do not bring it up again."

"…Yes, Your Majesty."

Sköll accepted this decision without showing any signs of disagreement, at least externally. Internally, she wondered if Alice VIII was really as foolish as most thought. Certainly, her usual behaviour suggested that she'd never matured mentally, but then there were moments like this when she showed intelligence befitting of the Monster Lord. One possibility was that she merely feigned stupidity to make others underestimate her. It was hardly far-fetched, as Sköll herself did the same thing, though she pretended to be a bloodthirsty brute instead of a childish simpleton.

These thoughts were interrupted by a large group of people entering the audience hall. The group comprised approximately twenty humans in chains, four monster guards, and the trio who were the Monster Lord's childhood friends – though they were now calling themselves the "Three Nobles of Black".

"Greetings, Your Majesty," Kurobara called out. "We've brought to you the latest catch, taken from our recent raids in Safina."

"And quite a fine catch it is," Alice VIII said, licking her lips. "Let me take a look!"

Alice VIII stood up from her throne and walked over to the group of captives. She circled around them, occasionally leaning in for a closer look. She extended a tentacle from under her dress and used it to caress the cheek of a small boy, saying, "You look interesting, why don't you join me for a tea party – "

"Get your hands off him!" shouted another captive, a large and rugged-looking man.

The man threw himself at Alice VIII, who responded by extending more tentacles to coil around his limbs and lift him into the air.

"Oh, a brave one?" Alice VIII said cheerfully. "What should I do with you… Hmm, a lot of my cute subordinates prefer men who are brave and strong. They say it's because these kinds of men last a long time, or produce strong children, or a dozen other reasons. What do you have to say to that?"

The man didn't say anything, simply staring defiantly into Alice VIII's eyes. It was a bravery that Sköll admired, even if it was ultimately futile.

"So you're not afraid of anything I might do to you?" Alice VIII said. "I _could_ just play with your friends first, and see how long it takes to change your mind… but just this once, I'll respect your wish."

One of Alice VIII's tentacles suddenly pushed into the man's mouth. Though the man was unable to let out any sound, his violent struggles clearly indicated that he would normally be screaming.

For five minutes, the people in the audience hall could only watch as Alice VIII tortured the man. The other captives huddled together and whimpered. Most of the monsters kept their eyes downcast. Even Sköll, who had seen and inflicted all kinds of carnage throughout her six decades of life, felt unsettled by the sight.

When the five minutes were over, Alice VIII released the man's corpse, allowing to splash into the pool of blood that had formed.

"All that effort has made me feel hungry," Alice VIII declared. "What's for lunch?"

The captives were taken away and Alice VIII strode off towards the dining hall. Sköll headed back to her own quarters.

 _I'm still not sure if her foolishness is really an act,_ Sköll thought. _What I can be sure of is: she is definitely on our side. There is no chance that she could be working with our enemies._

-ooo-

After lunch, Alice VIII retired to her room, pulled out a bucket and immediately vomited the half-digested food she'd just eaten.

Shortly after, there was a series of knocks on the door: three knocks, followed by one, followed by two. Alice VIII mumbled, "Come in", and Dinah slipped into the room, closing the door behind her.

There was silence for a few seconds, then Dinah said, "I heard about what happened. You – "

"I killed him instantly, then used a necromancy technique I learned from this gang of necromancers in the Safina region," Alice VIII said, not bothering to look up. "It creates a zombie with a heartbeat, breathing, everything. It would take an Artiste to tell that it's not alive."

"…I see. Anyway, you – "

"I also told the three 'K's about my plan beforehand, to make sure they'd be able to play along," Alice VIII continued. "To be honest, I wasn't sure if they'd all be able to manage, but it worked. In hindsight, I shouldn't have doubted them – they've managed to play along ever since I let them in on the secret after my coronation – "

"Mary!"

"But I'm still weirded out by the name they ended up choosing for themselves," Alice VIII said. "I mean, 'Three Nobles of Black'? That doesn't roll off the tongue at all! Why couldn't they have picked something similar, like 'Black Triad' or – "

Dinah forcibly lifted Alice VIII into a standing position and hugged her tightly. Alice VIII broke down in tears.

After she had recovered, Alice VIII passed on the latest information to her sister, more detailed information that could only be conveyed through these occasional face-to-face meetings. A sound-muffling spell ensured that they wouldn't be overheard.

"Alright, thanks," Dinah said. "And if it helps, the rest of that group of prisoners has been sent to one of the areas still under my control, so I can ensure that they're treated as best as possible."

"Yeah, that helps," Alice VIII said. She quickly slurped up the vomit – no sense in leaving any evidence – and continued, "It doesn't look like Tamamo is going to leave Yamatai, though. Nor has Sphinx made any move."

"We'll simply have to work without them," Dinah said, trying and failing to suppress her disgust. "I can still pass on your information to my agents and improve the human defences further. I have to go soon, is there anything else?"

"There isn't," Alice VIII said.

Dinah looked at her sister, then walked over to the bedside and took out a wooden ring from a drawer. "I haven't seen you wear this ever since you came back."

"Of course I haven't, someone would eventually ask where I got it from," Alice VIII said.

"Mary, I'm sure that Heinrich would forgive you for – "

Alice VIII grabbed Dinah by the neck and forced her down to the floor. Tears pouring from her eyes, she shouted, "And just what do you know!? You've never even met him! You have no idea what he's like! You don't know if – if he wants to kill me for everything I've done!"

"You're right, I never met him, but I did hear you talk about him for an entire year!" Dinah retorted, gazing resolutely at her sister. "And I know that he's not the kind of person to give up after just this much!"

"I – but – "

"Is your love so shallow that you can't trust him to still believe in you?" Dinah asked.

"…No. No, it isn't."

"Then you have to keep fighting your own battles as the Monster Lord," Dinah said. "I believe in you, the Three Nobles believe in you, Lilith and Lilim believe in you, and I'm sure Heinrich still does."

Alice VIII stood and helped her sister to her feet. After wiping away her tears, she said, "Thanks. I don't know how I'd keep this up without you."

"What are sisters for?" Dinah said, managing a smile.

After one final hug, Dinah left.

Mary picked up the ring and turned it over in her hand. She couldn't stay in her room all day as she had a meeting in the afternoon… but the previous conversation had given her the strength to keep going.


	27. Chapter 26: Hero's Ascension

_AN: It recently occurred to me that I neglected to mention Heinrich's armour in any of his recent battle scenes. I also realised, when I checked the wiki, that he canonically also has a shield among his unique equipment. Since I don't feel like going back and editing over such minor issues (and including the shield would change Heinrich's fighting style significantly), think of Heinrich as wearing the armour during battle unless specifically mentioned otherwise, and treat this as an AU where he never gets a shield._

* * *

Winter arrived. In the northern regions of Sentora, the war ground to a halt. Even though cold-adapted monsters could technically still fight, as could humans with the right spells, it was impossible to forage for food or move supply trains through the snowy landscape. In the southern regions, monsters continued to raid human settlements, but less frequently and with fewer numbers as they no longer received support from Hellgondo. For now, people focused more on surviving the winter than fighting.

In a small village of the Gold region, two twin succubi were sitting together on the roof of the tallest building. This village originally didn't have any monsters in it, being one of the places where anti-monster sentiment still ran strong. But when the war started, this village had been one of the first to fall – all it took was Lilith and Lilim flying in and putting everyone to sleep with a single blast of mind magic, then calling in a small group of subordinates to occupy the village.

Despite the occupation, the village was in a relatively good state. None of the men had been dragged off to feed monsters, nor had any of the villagers in general been killed. The villagers were allowed to perform largely the same activities as they always had. The only real differences were that none of the villagers could leave and the surplus production of the village went to Hellgondo instead of Grangold.

"All clear on this side," Lilith said. "Anything on your side, sister?"

"All clear as well – no, hold on," Lilim said, "there's a trace of hostile intent – more than one."

"Let's take a look."

The two succubi took off and silently flew towards the source of the hostility. The cold night meant that there were no other monsters outdoors, let alone any humans, so they weren't seen by anyone. They landed on the roof of a small farmhouse just outside the edge of the village. Voices could be heard from inside the farmhouse.

" – you get the weapons?" said a man with a deep voice, who the sisters recognised as Robert, one of the villagers.

"Only ones I could find without being suspected were axes, pitchforks and shovels," said a second man who was Bill, one of Robert's friends.

"We'll make do with those, just have to sharpen the edges and points and they'll be good enough," Robert said. "Ed, have you managed to find anyone willing to work with us?"

"Just two so far," Ed replied. "It's been hard finding people – most have given up on resisting, some are even saying that the occupation isn't so bad – "

"What!?"

"It's just what I've heard, okay?" Ed said quickly. "Their argument is that the monsters haven't hurt anyone yet, and – "

"It's only a matter of time! Why won't those idiots realise that!" Robert shouted. "They're just acting nice to make us lower our guard, all so they can tempt us into laying with them!"

"I know. Still, we can't do anything yet," Ed said.

There was a pause, then Robert said, "…Yeah. Sorry for blowing up at you."

"It's fine, I get how you feel," Ed said.

"Anyway, we better head back now, it's getting late," Bill said.

At this moment, Lilith and Lilim entered the farmhouse and started using a particular form of magic. The three men inside jumped in shock at the appearance of the succubi.

"Sorry, we can't let you go through with this," Lilith said.

"You're only going to get people hurt," Lilim said.

Robert picked up a wooden plank and tried to swing it at the succubus sisters. Lilim caught and easily stopped the plank with one hand.

"For the last time, just give it up already!" Lilim said. She took a deep breath. "Okay, please just listen. This village has been peaceful up until now, but if you stir up trouble, someone else will be sent in to manage this village, and they _will_ start killing people ."

"We won't give up just because of threats," Robert retorted, though he sounded uncertain. "We're not going to just let monsters do whatever they want in our home."

"If you think your current situation is bad, do you think it would be any better if it was a human army doing the occupation?" Lilith asked. "I know the history of this region, and you know it too, so don't pretend it's not a possibility. In the best case scenario, you would be treated the way you currently are."

"And in the worst case scenario, you would have everything you own taken, your women would be raped, and your homes burnt down," Lilim added, conjuring up illusions depicting these very events. "No different from if it was another kind of monster army here, except for the sexes being reversed."

"So if you want to protect your loved ones, please, just go home and forget about this," Lilith finished.

The three men lowered their eyes. They discussed the issue among themselves for a few moments.

"I still don't trust you – none of us do – but fine," Robert said grudgingly. "We'll stop for now. But the moment you harm anyone in this village, I don't care if we have no chance, I'll fight you until my last breath."

The three men left the farmhouse and returned to their homes.

Lilith and Lilim flew into the air and circled around the village several times. Once they were sure that there were no more villagers with hostile intent, they moved on to the next village under their care.

"I'm glad we were able to settle that," Lilith said.

"That's right, it's become much easier since we started controlling their emotions," Lilim said.

Emotion manipulation was one of the specialties of succubi. This was generally used to increase their partner's lust, but in this case it had been used to decrease the three men's anger and distrust so they could be more readily persuaded.

"But… I keep having doubts," Lilim said. "We're using this magic on people who haven't agreed to it. And they aren't remotely a threat to us, so it can't be justified as self-defence, either."

"It's for their own good," Lilith said. "If we aren't able to keep our territory peaceful, then someone else will be assigned to here… and lately, there are a lot of monsters who see humans as livestock, or worse. Remember that one village we saw."

Lilim did remember, and she shuddered. The village in question was one near Gold Port, which had fallen under the purview of Leviathan's North Sea army. The female villagers had long since been eaten by the time the two succubi had arrived there. The males had been reduced to broken shells, with all of their will sucked out of them… and this wasn't just limited to the adult men.

"Still, I wonder about long-term effects," Lilim said. "We've stopped rebellion for now, but it's unlikely to end here. What if we need to manipulate the same people again? From the stories I've heard, controlling the emotions of the same person over and over again can permanently damage their mind, making them unable to feel an emotion again or _only_ being able to feel that emotion."

"We'll just have to – to make sure that it doesn't come to this again. If we rule well enough, we can keep the people from wanting to rebel," Lilith said, though she could not hide the uncertainty in her voice. "That's our role, after all. We aren't as suited to direct combat as other monsters, so we have to do our best to support the frontline fighters."

Lilith and Lilim fell silent for several minutes, long enough for them to arrive at their destination. They landed on top of the tallest building and began scanning the emotions of the villagers again.

"How long do you think this war will last for?" Lilim asked.

"…I don't know," Lilith admitted. "There's still plenty of humans in favour of war and, from the last time we went back to Hellgondo, plenty of monsters as well."

Lilim sighed in frustration. The last time they returned to Hellgondo, and hence the last time they had seen Alice, was a month ago. It nevertheless felt like an eternity – not helped by their inability to use telepathy across Hellgondo's borders without being overheard.

"I wish there was more that we could do to help her," Lilim said. "The castle has turned into – I don't even have the words to describe it now. It's nearly impossible to find someone you can trust, anything you say out loud can be used against you, and people who should have been executed long ago are now in command of armies. I have no idea how she manages to stay sane."

"She's not the Mary we used to know," Lilith said. "Even when we met her back in Succubus Village, she was much more worldly and mature than when she left to go on her journey. She's managed to last until now, while keeping major secrets and causing everyone else to underestimate her – I'm sure she can keep going."

"That's a good point," Lilim said. She then looked directly at her sister. "But how long are _you_ going to keep acting like you're fine with this?"

Lilith maintained her mask for a moment. She then let it go, revealing an even more worried expression than Lilim's.

"Of course I'm not fine with this," Lilith said. "But what else can we do?"

Lilim grasped her sister's hand. "I don't have an answer to that, but I can say one thing, No matter where we go or what path we take, we'll do what we always have: we'll face the future together."

Lilith smiled, squeezing Lilim's hand. "Yeah… I can't believe I forgot that."

-ooo-

Senna looked out at the city of San Ilia. Compared to her native Sabasa, this city seemed overcrowded and devoid of greenery. However, it was similar in one unfortunate point: the undercurrent of fear among the people. At any rate, there were no likely threats in sight.

"All clear, Your Majesty," Senna said to her king.

"If it wasn't all clear of enemies, wouldn't the city be in danger?" Zarak, King of Sabasa, said with a laugh. He was a large man with powerful muscles and a mane of golden hair, dressed in a mixture of formal clothing and armour. He glanced at some of the roadside stalls. "I'd like to try out some of the local cuisine, I've heard nothing but good things about it… sadly, we don't have time to make a stop."

Zarak walked towards San Ilia Castle, with Senna, the other royal guards, and the other servants around him. The crowd parted reverently before them.

They arrived at their destination. San Ilia Castle was as much a church as it was a fortification: marble statues of angels lined the tops of the walls, with a huge golden statue of Ilias situated on top of a dome at the centre of the castle. The entrance was a pair of massive double doors, which the guards opened to allow the royal party in.

The interior of San Ilia Castle was illuminated by stained glass windows, each one depicting a scene that demonstrated Ilias' benevolence. There were even more statues of Ilias here, and any guards nearby a statue would hold their weapons carefully to avoid pointing them at the statue.

They came to a large room that was filled with wooden pews, like a church. The pews were packed with both humans and monsters, fervently praying.

Senna kept her face neutral, but on the inside she couldn't help feeling a slight disdain for those who would still worship Ilias at this stage. The faith in the Safina region was relatively weak due to its royal family having the blood of monsters, thus making them a living violation of Ilias' first commandment.

Suddenly, Senna felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned towards the one responsible, King Zarak. None of the others had noticed: Zarak was a renowned warrior who was skilled in all fields of combat, including stealth.

Zarak didn't say anything, simply giving Senna a look. Due to her years of serving the king, Senna recognised his meaning: _Don't be so harsh on them. It's what they were raised to believe in. If it keeps them from giving up, let them do what they want._

Senna lowered her head and focused on her duty.

They arrived at the meeting room. It contained a table and four chairs, two of which were already occupied: one by an elderly man in white garments that were decorated with red, blue and gold, the other by a thin, almost skeletal man in elaborate purple clothes. More guards stood along the walls.

"Welcome, Zarak. I trust you had no trouble on your journey here," said the elderly man, who was Phillip the Seventh, King of San Ilia and the leader of the faith.

Zarak sat in a chair, booming with laughter. "Oh, there was no trouble. On some level, I actually wish there was – haven't had the chance to swing my sword in years."

"I was wondering when you were going to get here – is it that hard to travel through the desert?" said the thin man, who was Elias, King of Grand Noah. "I had to travel through snow and I still arrived here yesterday."

"Not all of us can just drop what we're doing at a moment's notice," Zarak retorted. "Some of us have actual work to do."

"Oh? And just what is this work that has you so busy?" Elias asked. "Eating? Flexing your muscles? Fucking monsters – "

"Elias!" Phillip warned, with a forcefulness that belied his age.

"Calm down, old man," Zarak said calmly, though Senna noticed that he was clenching his fist underneath the table. "We're just joking around at each other's expense. Nothing to worry about."

The three kings fell into an uncomfortable silence. This lasted for half an hour, only being broken when the final member of the group arrived.

Soren, King of Grangold, entered the room. He was a short, fat man who moved with great care, as though trying to avoid crushing bugs underfoot. He wore a long white robe that reached almost to his ankles.

"Ah… sorry for being late," Soren said.

"Hey, I only just got here as well," Zarak said. "Sit down, and let's get this damn meeting started!"

Soren sat down. At last, the four kings began discussing the topic of this meeting: the war that was ravaging the entire world.

"With most of our able-bodied men in the army, we don't have enough workers for our farms. The situation will only get worse as we suffer more casualties and our stockpiles begin running out – "

"We've tried finding the mysterious hero for weeks now… but no success. It's as though he can be everywhere and nowhere at once – "

"Our ships are being harassed by raiders, it's made transport by sea nearly impossible. We need more troops capable of fighting at sea to defend them – "

"There's rumours that angels have started descending to earth, but none of them can be verified. Anyway, about that shipment of armour – "

The discussion went on for hours. Senna was unable to keep up with the rapid-fire exchange of words. She could, however, discern that the discussion was not heading towards a clear resolution. A king would work out an answer to one question, only for the answer to trigger five new questions.

Eventually, Zarak slammed his fist on the table. "Enough! Ultimately, what we all want is to end this war. The way to do that is simple: we must attack Hellgondo itself."

"That's an excellent idea, one that none of us would have ever thought of," Elias said sarcastically. "How do you propose we achieve that? You seem to have forgotten that the North Sea is incredibly harsh and dangerous. Even if we were to send in an all-monster force, there are few monsters hardy enough to make the journey, and they'd be horribly outnumbered by those loyal to the Monster Lord. Not a single one would ever land on that damned continent."

"The tunnel's not an option either," Soren added. "I sent scouts over to the entrance… it's too heavily guarded. And with how narrow it is, a few dozen troops could hold off an army."

"I'm aware of these facts, which is why I have a different suggestion: we try and turn some of the enemy to our side," Zarak said. "After all, our enemy is not a homogeneous mass. There are undoubtedly some of them who are uncertain about this war, who could be convinced to fight for us with the right incentives. If we can just – "

At that moment, the door of the room exploded and dark shapes flooded in. Acting on reflex, Senna thrust her sword at one of them. It hit its mark, and Senna had an instant to realise that the attackers were beast monsters. Then the beast she'd stabbed knocked Senna away with one swipe, sending her flying into the opposite wall.

Senna collapsed to the ground. She tried to rise up, but her body did not obey her. All around her, she saw the other guards being knocked down and disarmed, often sustaining great wounds in the process. The four kings were treated more carefully, but were still restrained.

"Is this all? I was expecting an actual _challenge_."

Out of the corner of her eye, Senna saw a white-furred wolf monster, one who towered over the rest.

"You – who are you? Just what do you want?" Phillip groaned.

"I haven't had the chance to fight before, so it's no wonder you don't know," the wolf monster said. "I'm Sköll, one of the commanders of the Monster Lord's army, and I'm here to bring an end to this war."

"Our people won't give up even if you kill us here," Elias said defiantly. "We all have plans for a successor in case of our deaths. You'll never get out of this city alive."

"Big words when all your walls and soldiers couldn't stop us getting _into_ this city in the first place," Sköll said. She then inspected the four kings as though they were slabs of meat, something that made Senna's blood boil. "You all have the smell of strong magical energy – must be that royal blood – but some of you look like you won't last long. Doesn't matter, we'll take you all anyway – "

Suddenly, Sköll whirled around to face the door. Senna couldn't see what had attracted her attention, but she didn't need to. The next moment, a piercing high-pitched sound filled the air, causing Senna and the four kings to cry out in pain. The beasts, with their greater sense of hearing, were even more affected – although their leader was somehow able to remain standing.

Then something shot through the door and hit Sköll with incredible speed, knocking the massive wolf monster through the wall and out of the room entirely.

-ooo-

Heinrich and the wolf monster landed in a corridor adjacent to the meeting room. Heinrich was putting his full force behind his sword, yet it failed to do more than cut skin. The wolf monster's flesh was harder than any steel.

Switching tactics, Heinrich pulled back his sword and unleashed a barrage of lightning-fast strikes, aiming at the weak points of the eyes, throat, stomach and groin. He continued manipulating the wind to create the high-pitched sound – against monsters like these, sonic attacks were highly effective.

However, the wolf monster refused to go down that easily. Even as the blood poured from her ears, she skilfully used her arms to shield herself from Heinrich's attacks.

"Heh, looks like I get to have some fun after all!" the wolf monster roared. "If you didn't catch my introduction before, the name's Sköll. Mind telling me your name?"

Heinrich didn't attempt to reply. All his senses told him that this opponent was far stronger than him, so he couldn't afford to waste any of his concentration on words.

Finally, Sköll counterattacked, with a swipe of a clawed hand that could rend steel and pulverise stone. It was also fast enough that Heinrich couldn't dodge it using the wind alone.

So he didn't rely on the wind.

Sköll's attack tore through the air, creating massive waves in the flow of the world. Heinrich allowed the waves to push him aside, avoiding the attack by a hair's breadth.

Sköll followed up with a series of powerful attacks, but none of them landed. Thanks to his recent training in the power of water, Heinrich could now perceive the invisible flows all around him: the flow of the air, the flow of sound, the flow of heat, the flow of life itself. The attacks all created waves in the flow, and Heinrich only needed to ride these waves to avoid being hit.

And the power of water wasn't just useful for evasion. It also revealed the optimum trajectories for him to attack, which he perceived as streams of glowing light connecting him to his enemy. Entrusting himself to the flow, Heinrich swung his sword along one of these streams, cutting a deep gash into Sköll's shoulder.

Sköll leaped back to a safe distance. "A serene mind? Not a lot of people know how to achieve that these days… so the stories about a human who could use the power of the elements were true. But it looks like you haven't mastered it yet, have you?"

Unfortunately, she was correct. Heinrich had only reached the level of being able to use the power of water for a few seconds at a time.

 _It doesn't matter,_ Heinrich thought. _With that wound, she won't be able to move her arm like before._

Heinrich charged, using the wind to accelerate his sword and the earth to reinforce it. The resulting attack could have shorn through the bones of even a high-ranking monster.

Sköll howled, creating a practically solid wall of sound. Heinrich slammed into the wall and stopped, his barrier of wind torn away. Then Sköll approached him, grabbed his leg with one hand, and slammed him into the wall.

 _Argh! Have to – break free –_

But the wolf monster did not relinquish her grip. Before Heinrich could do anything, she slammed him into the floor, hard enough to leave a crater.

 _You have to escape – if you focus on my power - !_ Gnome said.

Heinrich could not escape. Sköll possessed brute strength greater than any monster he'd faced before, save the massive Sandworm Girl. She slammed him into the walls and floor several times a second, never relenting. Bones broke, organs ruptured, blood spewed from Heinrich's mouth.

Then the beating stopped. Delirious with pain, Heinrich made the effort to turn his head so he could see the reason why.

One of the kings – Zarak, the Sabasa King, if Heinrich remembered correctly- had taken up a sword and was now fighting Sköll in single combat. Moreover, he was actually matching her blow-for-blow.

 _He should only have a trace of monster blood, yet it seems he trained himself to draw out its full potential,_ Undine said, clearly impressed.

Two pairs of hands dragged Heinrich out of the way. They belonged to Phillip and Elias, the Kings of San Ilia and Grand Noah. The former held his hands above Heinrich, emitting a gentle white light that caused the pain to subside.

There was a cry of pain, and Zarak fell, bleeding from large gouges across his chest. Heinrich tried to stand up to continue the fight himself, but he needn't have bothered.

A bolt of lightning struck Sköll in the centre of her body, causing her to yowl in agony and fall to her knees. From the hole in the wall emerged Soren, the Grangold King, his body overflowing with arcane power.

After a few seconds, Sköll stood up. She glanced at Zarak, but his wound had already been healed by Phillip and he, too, had stood up.

"So if I wanted a fight… all I had to do was not take you by surprise," Sköll said, panting heavily. "That's a shame. Anyway, you win this round."

Sköll jumped up and smashed through one of the large windows. Her presence grew more and more distant until Heinrich could no longer sense her.

The battle was over. With the help of the kings, Heinrich got to his feet. They returned to the meeting room, where Heinrich saw that the guards had been healed of their injuries and the attacking beasts had all been killed. Servants began filing into the room to clean up the mess.

"You know, we were just talking about you!" Zarak said, chuckling. "We talked about how we could never find you no matter what we did – and here you come to us! How lucky is that?"

"It – it wasn't really luck, Your Majesty," Heinrich said, bowing his head deeply. Even after all this time, he still couldn't help feeling nervous when face-to-face with multiple kings. "I came here, to San Ilia, because of the meeting taking place, because I thought that there was the possibility that someone might try to attack Your Majesties, and I sensed powerful monsters rush into the city, I tried to stop them before they reached the castle, but – "

"Calm down, young man," Phillip said. "As the one responsible for saving our lives, you need not bother with the formalities. Nor is there any need for you to feel inadequate – your actions today are something you should be proud of."

"Al-Alright, then," Heinrich said.

"Now, what is your name?" Phillip asked.

"Heinrich. Just Heinrich, I'm afraid I don't have a surname," Heinrich said.

"What, you think that's some horrible thing?" Zarak asked. "Many of my best warriors, including some of the guards I brought here, are commoners!"

"Aside from that, the power you used just now… it's the power of spirits," Soren said. "And not just any spirits… from the sheer amount of power you were channelling, it can only be the Four Great Spirits."

"Yes, that's right," Heinrich said. "Although, I only have contracts with three of them right now…"

"That's still an incredibly achievement! The best that others have reached is two, and they never got as powerful as you are!" Zarak exclaimed. He shot a nasty look at one of his fellow kings. "It just goes to show, the power of monsters can be used for great things, _Elias_."

"I have never doubted that the power of monsters can be useful, you musclebound fool," Elias retorted calmly. "Nor have ever I attempted to drive out the monsters in my territory."

Phillip clapped his hands to gather attention and prevent an argument. "Regardless, a victory over one of the strongest of monsters is cause for celebration. Heinrich, will you join us?"

Heinrich nodded. He had been planning to eventually reveal himself to the public and inspire hope in those who might otherwise give in to despair. Now seemed like the perfect opportunity.

"Excellent," Phillip said. He then began issuing orders to the servants. "Go to the kitchens and have them prepare a feast the likes of which San Ilia has never seen! Gather up every bard in the city and have them sing of the events that have happened today! We will let the world know of its new hero, Heinrich!"

-ooo-

The next few hours were a whirlwind of activity.

First, the four kings collectively gave a royal announcement, revealing to an audience of thousands how they had been attacked and briefly taken hostage by monsters, only for one man to come to their rescue. At this point, Heinrich had no option except revealing himself. He stepped into view and waved to the crowd, his body wracked by nervousness. The resulting cheer from the crowd had literally caused the earth to shake.

Then came the feast. Out of the four regions of Sentora, Natalia was by far the most suited for agriculture – even with all of the damage from the war, it still had plentiful stockpiles of food. Dozens of tables were brought out and every citizen, no matter their status, was allowed to participate. Every single table held beef, pork, poultry, fish, fruits, berries, vegetables, pastries, and multiple varieties of each. Then there were the barrels of beer, wine, rum, whiskey, gin, brandy, sake, and a dozen more drinks that Heinrich couldn't name.

And then there were the bards telling stories of Heinrich's exploits, from both today and the past few months. The stories became more and more exaggerated with every telling, not helped by the fact that the kings had downplayed their own role in today's battle. There was one bard who claimed that there had been three Queen-class monsters, Heinrich had killed two of them with his bare hands, and the third had fled when he unsheathed his sword. In fact, Heinrich's sword had developed a legend of its own, with some claiming that it had been given to him by an angel or even Ilias herself.

Throughout it all, the reaction of the people was one of boundless joy and relief. Everyone that Heinrich met, whether they were young or old, male or female, wealthy or poor, human or monster, congratulated him on his achievements and expressed their hopes that he would end this war. Heinrich couldn't keep up with the flood of adulation, eventually turning invisible and slipping away.

Heinrich dropped onto a bed in a small and secluded inn, utterly exhausted. He bade goodnight to the spirits and drifted off into sleep.

-ooo-

"Heinrich… Oh, brave Heinrich…"

A magnificent scenery appeared in Heinrich's vision. It was an endless sea of clouds, similar to what he saw when flying, but also clearly different. There was no sun – rather, it seemed that light was radiating from everywhere at once.

A figure rose up from the clouds. It was a woman, with golden hair reaching past her hips, sky-blue eyes, flawlessly smooth white skin, and a pair of white feathered wings. She wore a sleeveless white dress that was cut low in the front and slit to the hips, and had a pale purple sash wound around her arms. Jewellery of the purest gold adorned her head, neck, wrists and hips.

"Can you hear me, Heinrich?" asked Ilias, the Goddess of Light, Creator of the World, Protector of Humanity.

"…I can hear you, Ilias," Heinrich replied.

Ilias smiled. "Good. Now, Heinrich, I have called out to you because I have an important message."

"Before I hear the message, can I ask you two questions first?" Heinrich said. He glared right into Ilias' eyes. "Are you the one responsible for starting this war? And if not, why haven't you done anything to stop it?"

These words would have caused any priest to faint with shock – the only way Heinrich could have been more blasphemous would be to point his sword at Ilias and declare his intent to kill her, while simultaneously having intercourse with a monster.

"To answer your first question, no, I am not responsible," Ilias said calmly. "Not directly, at the very least. The causes for this war are complex, and I cannot deny that some of my more zealous followers contributed to it. But I would never order anything involving so much suffering and death… you can be sure of that."

"Even if that's true, why haven't you done anything?" Heinrich asked. "You're an all-powerful goddess, why haven't you just stopped the war yourself?"

Ilias closed her eyes and gave a sad smile. "Because, my dear child, as much as I am ashamed to admit it, I am not all-powerful. I created this world and all within it, but the act of doing so depleted much of my power. One comparison might be a famous author who devoted all of their heart and soul to their greatest work, leaving them unable to create anything on that level again. Furthermore, consider this: if I was all-powerful, and loathed monsters as much as you suppose, why have I not simply killed all of them myself?"

"That… is a good point," Heinrich admitted. "But you're saying that you don't hate monsters?"

"There is no simple answer to that question," Ilias said. "Before I give that answer, would you first listen to my message?"

Heinrich hesitated for a moment, before deciding that it would be best to play along in order to gather more information. "I will."

"Heinrich, I want you to end this war by killing the Monster Lord," Ilias said bluntly.

"…Okay, I think we're done here," Heinrich declared. He tried to turn away, but the goddess remained in his field of vision.

"Who was the one to first declare war?" Ilias asked. "Over the past months, you have undoubtedly spoken to many people and learned the answer from them, as painful as it might sound."

Heinrich stopped.

"And why has she not contacted you, after all this time?" Ilias continued. "She has neither called you via telepathy, nor sent a messenger to you. Why, if she has nothing to hide?"

"Shut the hell up!" Heinrich shouted.

"You must do something, Heinrich," Ilias said. "For every day you delay this decision, more people will die."

Heinrich covered his ears and closed his eyes. It was no use. He could still see and hear Ilias the same as before – presumably, this was a characteristic of this strange dream world.

"For now, you can, and indeed should, focus on training yourself," Ilias said. "You are still not strong enough to defeat the highest class of monsters. You may even continue using the power of monsters for this purpose. But eventually… you must choose."

"Choose – you think I can choose a path like that!?" Heinrich shouted. "You don't know anything about me – about us!"

"Indeed, and that is why I am leaving this decision to you," Ilias said. "I do not know everything about you, only you have that knowledge, and so only you are truly equipped to decide on your actions."

"But I – I don't know what I should do," Heinrich admitted. "Everyone expects me to – to do what you're suggesting, but I – I can't make that decision."

"Just think about my words," Ilias said, with a gentle tone befitting of a benevolent goddess. "I have said all that I wanted. Go forth, Heinrich, and show the world what a hero truly is. You have my blessing."

Ilias, along with the ethereal scenery, faded into darkness.

-ooo-

Heinrich opened his eyes. The light of the morning sun filled the room, but in the distance he could still hear the faint sounds of revelry.

 _I haven't slept that well in months. I think I was dreaming about something – can't remember what, though,_ Heinrich thought. He called out to the spirits. _Hey, can you hear me?_

There was no response. Heinrich got out of bed and searched the room. He found a note on the table: "My apologies, but Sylph wanted to go out and enjoy herself, so Gnome and I were forced to accompany her to prevent her accidentally destroying the city – Undine."

Heinrich smiled after seeing the note. Reading between the lines, Undine and Gnome had wanted to play around as well, but the former had been too proud to admit it. In any case, it would be fine to leave them for a day. San Ilia's security had been increased after yesterday's events, so there was little chance of another attack happening. Plus, they all needed a break from the constant fighting.

With the mystery of the spirits' disappearance settled, Heinrich decided to stay inside until they came back. He didn't want to deal with the crowds that would form the moment he stepped out the door. He therefore returned to the bed, lying down and closing his eyes.

 _After this… I think I'll go north and help the smaller villages survive the winter, there's lots of tasks that would be made easier with superhuman strength. The war will start up again once spring arrives, so before that happens I might go around to the monster bases, stop them from launching attacks in the first place._

 _But in the long run, that won't be enough. If I really want to do something, I'll need to go to the source._

Heinrich thought back on the people he had met, starting from yesterday and going back all the way to the start of the war. During the earlier stages, there had been many in favour of the war, whether to gain glory for themselves or to wipe out the enemy. But now, after months of brutality and suffering, that sort had been whittled down. Now, most people simply wanted the war to end.

 _But to do that, I'll have to – no, there has to be another way! It can't just be as simple as killing the leader – I mean, I don't even know if she –_

Heinrich clenched his fist, hard enough for his nails to draw blood.

 _There has to be another way._

* * *

 _AN: This chapter marks the end of this arc. I still haven't figured out what to name the arc – "War First Year" is a bit too blunt._

 _Now, some of you may be wondering why Heinrich doesn't remember Ilias' appearance. In my original plan for this chapter, he was going to, but then I considered the future implications of this. If Heinrich remembers talking to Ilias, he would certainly discuss this with the spirits. And even if he (uncharacteristically) chose not to, it would be easy for him to let something slip and then the spirits would figure it out anyway. This would remove the tension from this subplot._

 _Instead of that, I chose to have Heinrich forget being contacted by Ilias so long as he's awake. This not only preserves tension, but also fits better with how Luka reacted to Ilias in canon. Luka was frequently contacted by Ilias, yet he never mentions this to Alice (XVI) or the spirits, even when he trusts Alice enough to tell her about his past. This makes more sense if he forgets his encounters with Ilias soon after waking up, similar to dreams. In my interpretation, the encounters are forgotten but the underlying message is remembered subconsciously, which is why Ilias bothers in the first place._


	28. Chapter 27: Battling a Legend

_AN: I decided to stop using the full "Alice VIII" to describe Black Alice in the narration. From now on, I'll just use "Alice"._

* * *

Alice bent down and picked up a bright blue flower, one of many examples of the new spring growth. She tilted her head.

"Do you think this would look good in the throne room?" Alice asked her nearest subordinate, a lamia.

"I – I suppose it would, Your Majesty," the lamia said nervously. "At any rate, we're here, so – "

"So you're saying I should begin doing my duty?" Alice said.

The lamia flinched. "I didn't mean to – I was just – "

"Oh, relax!" Alice said, breaking out into a smile. "I was simply teasing you! Of course I'll do my duty, that's what it means to be Monster Lord!"

Currently, Alice was a remote part of central Gold. She had come here to assist the army dispatched to this area – though "army" was a slight exaggeration, as they numbered barely over thirty – in conquering one of the last pockets of stubborn resistance.

Alice turned her eyes forward. There was a large hill, its surface covered in small bushes and clumps of grass. Most would have seen nothing unusual about it. However, those with a keen sense for magical energy would notice the countless presences within the hill.

"So this is the place that has given you so much trouble?" Alice asked.

"That's right," the lamia replied, still with a trace of nervousness in her voice. "It was originally just a small nest of land-dwellers, mainly Earthworm Girls, but human refugees from nearby villages fled here. We think there's more than two hundred here now. They've – as much as I'm ashamed to admit it, we haven't managed to capture or kill a single one yet. Whether we enter through their tunnels or dig our own tunnels, we're fighting them in their own element and can't make use of our own advantages. And they aren't just passively defending, either – they keep tunnelling out to launch attacks on our supplies or our wounded."

"All of the troops here have experience in combat, whereas the opposing force is mainly civilians and their fighters are not what I'd call powerful," Alice said. "Just _how_ have you managed to fail for seven months?"

"It's not that simple," the lamia retorted. "We can't use our usual tactics when we're trying to capture the men alive."

"Hmm… you do have a point," Alice said. "Let me think about what to do – in fact, let me ask Beary for advice!"

Alice lifted up Beary and pressed their foreheads together. The others looked unsettled by this.

 _Okay, now what do I do?_ Alice thought. _I can't avoid taking this nest, the question is what to do with the people afterwards._

While pretending to still be conversing with her teddy bear, Alice looked at the soldiers. Currently, all of them were looking attentively at their Monster Lord. However, she recognised the scent coming off some of them – the scent of monsters who had recently raped men, a scent that was increasingly common in these times. Moreover, their nearby camp contained various items that were clearly of human make. This was consistent with the reports she'd read before coming here: these soldiers had attacked and pillaged the surrounding villages to satisfy their own desires.

 _There's only one option, isn't there?_

Alice set down Beary and clapped her hands. "Okay, I've figured out what to do. Step back, everyone."

The soldiers immediately put at least thirty metres of distance between themselves and the hill, some even crouching down behind boulders. A mixture of respect, awe and fear could be felt from them.

Alice closed her eyes and gathered mana. She opened up her magical senses, expanding the range of her perception until she was certain she had every target.

"Die For Me!" Black Alice shouted.

A wave of dark magic erupted from Alice and engulfed the entire hill, extending for many metres underground. In an instant, every spark of life within range vanished. And it wasn't limited to people – even the smallest of the animals and plants were silently killed.

The soldiers approached after a few seconds. Every last one of them was visibly shocked.

"What was – Your Majesty, what did you do!?" the lamia asked.

"I killed them all, of course," Alice said. "If the problem is capturing them alive, then the answer is simple: don't bother."

The soldiers stared wordlessly at their leader.

"If that's not a good enough reason, then consider this," Alice continued. "There are still many villages and towns that continue to resist our advance. If they hear of what happened here, do you think they'll still have the will to keep fighting? Of course not. When faced with a choice between life and certain death, anyone would choose the former."

"I – I understand, Your Majesty," the lamia said. "Your wisdom is most impressive – "

"Anyway, go in and salvage anything useful, then collapse the nest," Alice ordered the troops. "It'll be a fitting grave for them. After that, go out and spread word of what has happened here. Let the world know what it means to cross Black Alice."

Alice spent the next hour overseeing the soldiers as they carried out her orders. Once she was satisfied, she spread her wings and took flight.

 _Not too long ago, I wouldn't have been able to stop myself vomiting from that,_ Alice thought. _Now… it's just business as usual._

After a few minutes, Alice arrived at Gold Port. The town had changed dramatically from when she'd first visited it. The buildings had their doors forcefully widened to accommodate larger monsters. Many of the ships had been scuttled and the docks dismantled to make more room for the sea monsters. And of course, the population was now primarily monsters, with a few human men and no women left.

The arrival of the Monster Lord caused a minor commotion. Alice went through the usual formalities as quickly as possible, then retreated to her temporary headquarters – formerly the home of the town mayor.

 _It's been less than a day, and already there's this much,_ Alice thought, eyeing the new pile of documents on the table.

Alice sat down and started methodically reading through the documents. They consisted of reports and requests for assistance.

 _Let's see… the South Sea army is in need of new orders, since their capture of Port Natalia failed… from their record, they're not the sort I can trust to not get carried away. Hmm… what would be a proper opponent for them?_

Rummaging through the countless stacks of paper, Alice eventually found the latest reports on the movement of San Ilia's armies.

 _This village here has just received a garrison of temple knights… specifically, a group that is infamous for being unnecessarily brutal, but nevertheless competent fighters. I'll send the South Sea army there, might as well solve two problems at once._

Alice wrote down orders on the request and set it aside. She moved on to the next one.

 _So this is the force heading for Grangold… it'll be the first time that one of them has moved in decades. It looks like the city's going to be taken within the day._

Alice cradled her head in her hands. With the high population density of a capital city, the casualties that would result from this operation would be immense.

 _I knew this would happen eventually. The city's defenders might be skilled, but there's no way they can stand up to_ this _. In the entire Gold region, there's no one capable of –_

 _– no, there's_ him _. There's a chance that he would win, if he's here. But –_

Images flashed through Alice's mind: a young man being shredded by massive claws, burnt to cinders by fiery breath.

 _…Do I even have the right to worry about him? After all I've done?_

-ooo-

Varenia, a high-ranking wyvern within the Monster Lord's army, paced about nervously.

 _Our reinforcements should be here any minute now,_ Varenia thought. _But unless we get someone on the level of the Three Nobles or the Monster Lord herself, I doubt we'll be able to take the city._

Varenia was currently on a hill overlooking Grangold. Close by was an army of five hundred monsters from Hellgondo. For two weeks they had laid siege to the city, and for two weeks they had failed to make any progress. The city was protected by a barrier that withstood even their strongest attacks, while its defenders included the mightiest human mages in the world.

 _If it wasn't for the spiders failing their job, we wouldn't be in this mess. In fact, we probably would've conquered the other cities already. At most, we'd need to spend just a few more months fighting. But instead, we're stuck here with no end in sight._

Varenia sighed. She wished she was back home with her mate, Tanta. Even if she had to share him with half a dozen others, she still enjoyed their time together… at least, she had in the past. When she last saw him, he'd acted distant towards her. Tanta didn't explain why he was doing this, and he didn't need to.

 _But I have to do this. I have to fight. I can't just let the Monster Lord's death go unanswered. After coming this far… there's no other option._

While lost in these thoughts, Varenia noticed a commotion among the others. She looked down to see one person approaching from the north, the direction their reinforcements were supposed to be coming from.

 _Wait – only one? There must be some mistake –_

Varenia flew down to meet the newcomer. She saw that they were a dragonkin like her, with scaled limbs and reptilian tail, though the newcomer was taller, had green scales instead of Varenia's red, and her arms weren't modified into wings.

The dragonkin looked disdainfully at Varenia. "Are you the one in command here?"

"I am," Varenia replied. "Don't tell me that you're all the reinforcements we're getting?"

"I'm all the reinforcements you _need_ ," the dragonkin said. "All you have to do is wait here until I take down the defences, then head in to capture the city."

Varenia looked up and down the dragonkin, noting her lack of any weapons and armour. "And just how are you planning on taking down the defences? Are you going to punch through the walls with your bare hands?"

"Youngsters these days… forgotten how to recognise _real_ power," the dragonkin said. "Step back and I'll show you what that means."

The dragonkin suddenly emitted a wave of raw, primal energy. Her muscles tensed and started expanding… and they didn't stop. Tonnes upon tonnes of green-scaled flesh burst into existence, shaking the earth. All of the other monsters withdrew, some tripping over in their terror.

Finally, the expansion stopped. A monster straight from legend now stood before them. Its head was armed with wickedly curved horns and a mouth full of sharp fangs, the latter large enough to swallow a full-grown ox whole. Its body was supported by four legs, each thick as a tree and tipped with fearsome claws. A pair of membranous wings, each the size of ship's sails, extended from each side of its body. A long tail completed the picture.

Varenia fell to her knees, cowering under the gaze of a superior predator. Not once in her entire life did she ever expect to meet a genuine, pure-blooded dragon.

The dragon's mouth opened. A humanoid body emerged from within, one with the same features as the dragon's smaller form.

"Not so insolent now, hm?" the dragon said. "I came here disguised to avoid alerting the city and giving its defenders time to prepare. Now then, wait here, and allow me to win your battle for you."

The dragon withdrew her humanoid body and closed her mouth. For an instant, Varenia saw the body seemingly melt into the surrounding flesh – presumably to protect it during the imminent battle.

Then the dragon took flight. The sheer amount of air displaced by her wings knocked down several of Varenia's soldiers. With powerful beats of her wings, the dragon rose swiftly into the air and headed for the city. Varenia and the rest of the army hurried after her.

Grangold did not remain idle. A barrier of golden light flickered into existence, encompassing the entire city.

The dragon opened her mouth and unleashed a torrent of bright blue flame, striking the barrier directly. Hundreds of arrows and spells were fired by the city's defenders, but all of them were deflected by the dragon's hide. After less than ten seconds, the barrier shattered like glass.

The dragon roared triumphantly. Taking this as a signal, Varenia turned to her soldiers with the intention of ordering them to advance.

Suddenly, Varenia heard a loud crash. She looked up to see the dragon reeling to the side.

-ooo-

In the sky above Grangold, Heinrich thought, _It might sound strange, but I can't believe this is actually happening!_

 _That's not strange at all!_ Sylph said. _Now's your chance to slay an actual dragon!_

 _I must admit, this does sound like something straight from a legend…_ Gnome said.

 _It's a strange turn of fate, to encounter a dragon while you were travelling to Gold Volcano to acquire Salamander,_ Undine said. _It's a shame you couldn't finish that business first – while the power of fire may be less complex than water, it is nevertheless superior when it comes to resisting fire attacks._

Heinrich flew to the side to avoid a blast of flame. _I'll have to make do with what I have!_

The dragon opened her massive jaws and began to speak, with a deep voice that shook Heinrich to his bones.

"It's been a long time since I fought a human capable of matching me. So you're that famous hero?"

Heinrich used the power of water to create over ten illusory copies of himself. He and the copies charged at the dragon from all directions. The dragon annihilated most of the copies with a single breath. Heinrich managed to reach the dragon and slash at her neck, but only made a small scratch. He quickly retreated to avoid a retaliatory swipe.

After this exchange, Heinrich realised the relative capabilities of himself and his opponent. He had the advantage in speed and manoeuvrability, while the dragon had even greater advantages in strength, durability, and literal firepower.

 _Even with this sword, her scales are incredibly tough… as expected from a dragon,_ Heinrich thought. _Could I try removing the oxygen from the air around her? No, the air's being stirred up too much for that. But if I want to inflict any real injury, I'd need to aim for the eye or the inside of the mouth._

"You're quite good, must have been practicing for a year at least," the dragon said. "But I only heard of you starting a few months ago."

"I don't really like standing out," Heinrich said, while firing off countless wind slashes in an attempt to knock the dragon off-balance. "The Sandworm Girl in Safina was partly my work, though."

"So you're one of the ones that killed Eligax? You have my thanks for that, she was always annoying," the dragon said. She breathed again, filling a portion of the sky with scorching flames, then continued, "She did have a point though. In the end, power is what matters in this world."

"I've heard that argument a thousand times before!" Heinrich shouted as he tried, and failed, to take out one of the dragon's wings. "It never gets any more convincing!"

"You should consider it, though," the dragon said, swinging her tail and almost hitting Heinrich. "With your power, you're a match for monsters like myself. You think you can still go back to a normal life? Every single country will do their best to get you on their side, or try to kill you in your sleep. Now that you have power, you have to learn to accept it."

Heinrich didn't bother listening any further. He submerged himself into a serene mind and flew directly at the dragon. Following the optimal trajectory, he swung his sword and cut into the dragon's wing, deep enough to hit bone.

 _There! Now I just need to –_

Suddenly, the dragon's tail slammed into Heinrich, disorienting him. He reflexively moved his body and avoided the following claw attack. However, the dragon then breathed fire again, and he wasn't able to avoid in time. Despite moving out of the way as fast as possible, he was still exposed to the fire for almost a full second.

Heinrich spent the next few moments desperately retreating from the dragon's assault and trying to keep his body functioning. From the pain, he could tell that several ribs were cracked, as were some of the bones in his left arm, and there were minor to moderate burns over much of his body. But because he could still feel pain, he knew the damage wasn't as bad as it could've been. He focused on using the power of water to heal the damage as much as possible.

The dragon stopped pursuing Heinrich, presumably since she realised that she couldn't catch him even in his weakened state. Instead, she turned her head down and began bombarding Grangold with her fiery breath.

 _She's provoking you, you can't!_ Undine cried out.

 _I know, but there's no other choice!_ Heinrich replied.

Heinrich sent out powerful gusts of wind to blow away the flames and stop them hitting the city. This left him open for the dragon to blast him again, burning him to the point that he struggled to even stay aloft. Then the dragon charged at him, claws outstretched.

Countless monsters – harpies, succubi, insects – raced towards the dragon from all directions. The dragon lashed out with claws, tails, and breath, killing many of them, but a few slipped through and managed to wound both of her eyes.

While the dragon roared in pain, a group of fairies surrounded Heinrich. Green light emanated from them.

"It's not much, but here's a little healing!"

"Sorry we didn't help you, dragons are really scary!"

"It's fine, I'm just glad you came to help!" Heinrich said.

Now able to fight again, Heinrich flew at the dragon and slashed at her uninjured wing. The dragon plummeted towards the ground. Heinrich followed her all the way down, hacking and stabbing, but the dragon's constant movements prevented him doing any real damage. He eventually decided to use the wind to control their direction of descent, trying to avoid hitting the buildings.

They crashed down in the middle of a city square, Heinrich clinging to the dragon's back. Heinrich immediately used the earth to increase his weight in an attempt to pin his opponent down.

"You think – you can defeat me – that easily!?" the dragon roared, gradually lifting herself off the ground.

The dragon threw her body at a nearby building, forcing Heinrich to jump away.

The next few minutes were a brutal exchange of blows. Heinrich darted in and out with lightning speed, leaving small yet numerous scratches on the dragon's massive body. The dragon was unable to hit him directly, but neither did she need to. Now that she had proper footing, her physical attacks were far more powerful – even the shockwaves they produced were capable of injuring Heinrich.

On several occasions, the dragon breathed fire. Heinrich was forced to grit his teeth and dodge these attacks, allowing them to hit the surrounding buildings. To minimise the damage to the city, he would need to defeat the dragon as quickly as possible.

Eventually, Heinrich landed a solid blow on the dragon's left foreleg, cutting through to the bone. The injury hindered the dragon enough for him to inflict a similar injury on the right foreleg. The dragon tried to counterattack by biting him, but Heinrich dodged by slipping underneath her head.

Running beneath the dragon, Heinrich slashed upwards repeatedly, the thinner scales of the belly allowing him to inflict over a dozen deep wounds. He quickly moved out to avoid being crushed underneath the huge body, by which time he was soaked in blood.

Finally, Heinrich charged at the dragon's head and thrust his sword into her eye, all the way up to the hilt. The dragon screamed and flailed wildly, but Heinrich held on with all of the strength he had left.

After several seconds, the desperate struggle came to an end. The dragon slumped to the ground.

Breathing heavily, Heinrich withdrew his sword and stepped back.

Suddenly, the dragon's head stirred. Heinrich raised his sword, unsure of his chances, but his worries were unfounded. The dragon merely opened her mouth to reveal a humanoid body inside, and said body was also clearly on the verge of death.

"Ah… I haven't had a battle like that in centuries…" the dragon said quietly. "It was definitely worth joining this endeavour…"

"So that's your reason for fighting?" Heinrich asked, too tired to even feel much indignation. "Just to enjoy yourself?"

"Indeed… it may sound simple… but that's what I've lived my life for…" the dragon said. "Listen to me, hero Heinrich… even if you don't trust me, listen… with your power, you won't be allowed to meet a peaceful end… that's just how the world works… even I could not escape that fate…"

"I can try," Heinrich replied.

The dragon simply smiled and closed her eyes. The spark of her life vanished.

With the battle over, a wave of fatigue hit Heinrich's body. The pain of his partly healed injuries, no longer restrained by adrenaline, filled every fibre of his being. He closed his eyes and drifted into unconsciousness.

-ooo-

Heinrich opened his eyes. He was lying in a soft bed in a luxuriously furnished room. The soft rays of the morning sun streamed in through a nearby window. By analysing the flow of the wind, Heinrich discovered that he was in a massive building with many rooms and corridors, containing hundreds of people. This could only be Grangold Castle.

Then Heinrich turned his attention inwards, inspecting the flow of water inside his body. The results made him wince. He had almost every type of injury in existence, and almost every part of his body was injured – it was a wonder that he'd even made it here alive. While he didn't feel any pain, presumably due to receiving the best healing magic in Grangold, he was in no condition to even stand up, let alone walk.

A servant, an elf, entered the room. She looked at Heinrich and exclaimed, "Sir, you're awake! You shouldn't strain yourself!"

"I won't, thanks for your concern," Heinrich replied.

"Are you hungry? Would like me to bring you something to eat?" the servant asked.

"Just some bread should be fine," Heinrich said.

Heinrich felt something off about the conversation. It took him a second to realise what it was: suppressed grief.

"Hold on," Heinrich said, just as the servant was about to leave the room. "Can you tell me one thing: just how many people died?"

The servant jumped. "I – It's not my place to say that, sir."

"Please, you can tell me," Heinrich persisted.

"All I can say is, the army that was outside the city ran away when you defeated the dragon," the servant said. "If you'll excuse me, I must go to fetch your food."

The servant quickly bowed and left.

Heinrich settled into his bed, thinking about what had just transpired.

 _I can't really remember what happened, but… there was definitely damage to the city, damage that I wasn't able to stop._

 _It's not your fault!_ Sylph said. _If you hadn't been here, it would have been a lot worse!_

 _Grangold would have fallen… the casualties would be orders of magnitude higher…_ Gnome added.

 _Heinrich, there is no way to prevent all innocent deaths in war,_ Undine said. _From my experience, you have done an exemplary job. Focus on those you have saved, and on those you can save in the future._

 _I know… still, it's worth looking back on the past and seeing the mistakes I've made, so I can avoid making them in the future,_ Heinrich said.

After obtaining the approval of the spirits, Heinrich closed his eyes and opened up his magical senses. This time, in addition to the wind, he examined the vibrations transmitted up through the floor into the bed and the flow of the world.

One floor below and some distance to the right was a large room containing over a hundred people. Most seemed to be ordinary citizens of Grangold while the remainder were city officials, and the former were arguing with the latter.

"My shop's nothing but ashes! How am I supposed to make a living now!"

"I'm moving out of this damn city! I can't stay in a place like this!"

"You have to keep searching, I know my son is still alive out there – "

Heinrich spent several minutes listening to these conversations, carving these words into his memory.

The servant returned with a tray of bread, along with a cup of water. She set these down on the table and left. Heinrich picked up a slice of bread and resumed his investigation.

There was another large room with many people – a chapel, judging by the numerous prayers being recited here.

"Oh Ilias, please guide the souls of my parents safely to their rest – "

"Ilias, I beg of you, please bring this war to an end – "

"Almighty Ilias, may you guide your chosen hero to slay the Monster Lord – "

Heinrich sat up. The motion sent shocks of pain through his body, but he ignored this.

 _Heinrich - ,_ Sylph began.

 _I know, I can't just let myself be carried away by what people say,_ Heinrich said. _Anyway, I need to recover as soon as possible and go to Gold Volcano to contract with Salamander. How soon can I do that?_

 _From your current skill with the power of water, and taking into consideration the skills of Grangold's healers… I'd estimate a month,_ Undine replied.

Heinrich nearly fell out of bed. _A month!?_

 _At the very least, it could easily be two months,_ Undine said. _And you must not set out until you are fully healed. That belligerent spark will certainly try to test you through combat, and you will not stand a chance unless you are at full capacity._

 _Alright,_ Heinrich thought. _I can still train with your powers while I'm recovering. Then once I'm ready, I'll fly out to Gold Volcano._

 _And… after that…_

Heinrich looked towards the window, not nearly as sure of his goal as he had been a year ago.

* * *

 _AN: If anyone's curious, the spell Black Alice used in this chapter is not just a Persona reference – it's an actual skill she canonically has in Paradox (which is presumably intended as a Persona reference)._


	29. Chapter 28: Four Elements

As soon as he was finished recovering, Heinrich flew towards Gold Volcano at his full speed. Along the way, he passed over the same villages he'd seen during his previous visit to the volcano. All of them were completely deserted. Their former inhabitants, assuming they hadn't just been killed and enslaved by the invading army, must have fled to a safer location.

The sight of all this destruction no longer made Heinrich clench his teeth and swear to find the ones responsible. Over the past two months, he had seen the consequences of his battle with the dragon for Grangold. This had left him with a firm resolve to end this war… even if that meant going right to the source.

Heinrich arrived at the summit of the volcano, then flew straight down the vent. The surroundings heated up rapidly, but Heinrich's control over three elements allowed him to keep himself at a comfortable temperature despite wearing metal armour.

The base of the volcano consisted of a massive lake of magma, with a stone island in the middle. A narrow bridge of stone connected the island to the side of the vent – this was presumably for visitors who entered by climbing down. At first, there was no one else around, but then a large flame ignited in the middle of the island, despite the lack of any fuel. The flame dispersed after a few seconds, revealing the Spirit of Fire.

Salamander had some resemblance to a dark elf, with dark brown skin and pointed ears. Her body was slender but gave the impression of wiry strength, the build of a warrior who prized both strength and agility. A strange glowing pattern adorned her abdomen. She wore no clothes – instead, her body was surrounded by red-orange flames, constantly shifting between various shapes. Her hair consisted of the same kind of flames. But what truly stood out were her eyes – even though Heinrich had no trouble looking directly at the lava or the flames, he couldn't help but avert his gaze from those blazing eyes.

Heinrich cleared his throat. "Salamander, I've come here to – "

"No need to waste time with the formalities, kid," Salamander said. "I know why you're here, and you wouldn't be here if you weren't ready. Yes, I'm okay with letting you borrow the power of fire. Let's skip straight to the test of whether or not you're capable of using it."

Undine materialised. "Slow down, you foolish hothead. Your recklessness and impulsiveness will get you killed one of these days."

"The way this war is going, at least one person is dying every second," Salamander said. "If you're fine with that, then go ahead, but leave this to the adults."

"You – "

"Alright, let's start," Heinrich said.

"Quick and decisive, just the way I like it," Salamander said, ignoring Undine's look of protest. "Now, normally there's be two parts to this test – "

A dragon rose up from the lake of magma. She was just as large as the one that Heinrich had slain, except she had blue scales instead of green.

" – I'd get you to fight Ladon here first, but you've already defeated one dragon, so that's now pointless," Salamander continued. "So to save time, we'll skip right to you fighting me."

Heinrich drew his sword. Undine sighed in resignation and returned to Heinrich's head.

"Human, let me give you one piece of advice: as you are now, you won't pass this test," Ladon said, before slinking back into the magma.

 _What exactly did she mean?_ Heinrich wondered. _It didn't sound like she was just talking about combat strength._

 _I'm not sure… none of us have ever cohabited with Salamander before, so we don't know the specifics of her test,_ Gnome replied.

 _I'll just have to find out through experiencing it,_ Heinrich decided.

Heinrich and Salamander spent several moments facing each other. Then they both attacked simultaneously. Salamander launched jets, spears and explosive balls of flame, while Heinrich counterattacked with gusts of wind and pillars of earth, and used a serene mind to guide his movements.

"You're pretty good with the other three elements! But still not good enough!" Salamander roared. She formed her flames into numerous dragon heads and shot them towards Heinrich. "If you can't even land a hit on me, how do you expect to win against the likes of the Monster Lord!"

Heinrich refused to give in to the bait. Swinging his sword in a wide arc, he produced a wind slash that covered the entire width of the island.

Salamander didn't bother dodging, instead redirecting her flame dragons to crash into the wind slash and disperse it. "You think you can handle the power of fire like this? Don't make me laugh!"

Heinrich manipulated the stone of the island, forming countless spikes. To avoid this attack, Salamander emitted intense flames from her feet to propel herself into the air.

"Is that really all you have?" Salamander continued, while shooting an endless barrage of fireballs. "No wonder you weren't able to take on a dragon by yourself! If you were stronger than this, you wouldn't have gotten so many people killed!"

 _Okay, now Mandy's starting to piss me off!_ Sylph grumbled.

 _She's crossed a line,_ Gnome agreed.

 _I am tempted to come out and extinguish her myself,_ Undine said.

Heinrich jumped and flew towards Salamander. Fireballs punched through his wind barrier and struck his body directly, but his armour kept him from suffering serious injury. He reached sword distance and slashed…

…only for Salamander to explode into sparks. Warned by a shift in the wind, Heinrich immediately whirled around, but he was still too late to avoid receiving a fire-infused punch. The sheer power forced Heinrich back to the ground, though he was able to land on his feet.

There was no time for Heinrich to relax. Salamander continued attacking him relentlessly, far more dangerous than before due to her newly revealed ability. However, Heinrich soon realised that this ability had a weakness: it didn't allow Salamander to transport herself just anywhere, only to places that were currently occupied by fire. He therefore used the wind to extinguish as much of the fire as possible to limit Salamander's movement.

The battle raged on for several minutes. Heinrich was able to learn Salamander's fighting style and this, coupled with his serene mind, allowed him to start landing hits on the fire spirit. However, these hits only left minor scratches, and Salamander only fought more ferociously the more she became injured. Furthermore, Salamander was definitely learning as well, as she was also landing hits more frequently. And as she fought, she never stopped the barrage of insults.

"What's the matter, given up?" Salamander asked mockingly.

"Of course not!" Heinrich shot back.

"Because it sure looks like you have! From what I heard, you're supposed to be some famous hero? But you can't even beat me, and I'm far from the strongest in the world!"

"It's not – that simple!"

"From the looks of you, you started out as a nobody, right? Probably from some tiny village that no one cares about? It's no wonder that you can't go any further from here. Give up. Someone like you only has so much potential, even with the power of the spirits."

Heinrich shook with anger. He'd tried to control himself to avoid seeming like a child, but these words had caused him to reach his limit.

"You're right, I'm just a nobody from a tiny village barely anyone cares about. But that doesn't matter one bit!"

Pointing his sword at Salamander, Heinrich shouted with all of his strength.

"You think I can't go any further? Well, there's at least three people who disagree with you, and that's just counting your fellow spirits. You think you know better than them? You think there's no point in me gaining your power? Fine, have it your way!"

Heinrich concentrated the wind to his feet in preparation to fly.

"I don't need the power of fire! I'll end this war using just the three elements I already have! If you don't think I'm worthy enough for you, then just sit here and watch me prove you wrong!"

Salamander laughed. "Don't make claims you can't live up to. You won't even make it to Hellgondo, let alone do anything like ending the war."

Walls of fire rose up from the magma surrounding the island, joining together to form a scorching dome. Even through his three-fold magical protection, Heinrich felt his body temperature rise.

"For your own good, it's better that your journey ends here," Salamander declared.

Heinrich closed his eyes and focused, ignoring the growing heat, ignoring Salamander's continued insults. He focused on a technique so difficult that he'd only recently mastered it: combining the power of two different elements.

After a few seconds, he finished it. Heinrich thrust his palms to either side, releasing an explosion of wind and water magic that slammed into the fiery dome, scattering and extinguishing it. The explosion was so powerful that it even blasted away most of the fire covering Salamander's body.

"Just to be clear, I've been holding back until now," Heinrich said. "After all, I have no intention of killing you. If I did, you'd already be dead."

"That's another big statement to make – killing a Great Spirit isn't nearly that easy," Salamander said, raising an eyebrow. "Besides, even if you somehow succeed in doing that, it would have serious consequences for the world."

"I know there would be consequences. That's one of the reasons why I have no intention of killing you," Heinrich said. "Anyway, if you're not planning on lending me your power, I have no reason to waste any more time here."

Salamander threw back her head and laughed. The flames around her returned to their usual intensity.

"I haven't met someone as brazen as you in years… you pass the test," Salamander said. She lowered her head and continued, in a genuinely apologetic tone, "Sorry for everything I said."

Heinrich let out the tension in his body. "The tests from Gnome and Undine also had secret meanings, so I figured out what you were planning halfway through – is what I'd like to say, but that's not what happened. I only figured it out once I'd already started ranting."

"That's nothing to be ashamed of," Salamander said cheerfully. "We all need to let out our anger sometimes. Anyway, to make things clear, the point of this test is to see if you have the spirit to defend your beliefs. If you try to wield fire half-heartedly, you'll only get yourself burned."

Undine appeared again. She glared at her elemental counterpart. "I deduced what you were planning, but – really, you stupid spark? I understand that you needed to test if he has what it takes to command fire, but were you really unable to think of anything better than childish insults?"

"Better than anything you come up with, you slimy puddle," Salamander retorted.

Undine's eyes twitched. "That's it – I don't care if the terrain is against me, I'm going to drown you until you – "

Heinrich quickly intervened. "There's no time for this. Can you two at least put your feud aside for now?"

"…Yes," Undine said.

"…Fine," Salamander said. "Though I think the best way to resolve this would be to let you, the person I actually insulted, get a chance to make things even."

"Wait, what are you suggesting?" Heinrich asked.

"I'll let you punch me once," Salamander said. "Or kick me, or whatever you want. I'm not picky."

Undine sighed. "Of course _you_ would think of something so barbaric as a solution…"

Before the two spirits could start arguing again, Heinrich stepped forward and punched Salamander in the face. He put enough force into it that Salamander was knocked off the island entirely, skipping across the magma several times before coming to a stop.

 _…Huh, I guess I had more frustration built up than I thought._

"That was a decent punch – you should consider training more in martial arts," Salamander said casually as she returned to the island. "Anyway, I'll give you a quick lesson on how to use fire. It depends on you being able to ignite and maintain your fighting spirit, and keeping it under control in the middle of battle. You've probably gotten used to hearing this by now, but it's not as easy as it sounds. Imagine an experienced fire mage using concentrated heat to melt through even the toughest armour, then imagine an amateur swinging around a torch, more likely to burn themselves than the enemy. The first is what you need to aim for."

"Got it," Heinrich said.

"And fire's good for more than just offensive power – though that's obviously one of its advantages," Salamander continued. "It gives you incredible stamina, enough to fight dozens, even hundreds of enemies in a row – "

" – then you collapse, having recklessly burnt through your reserves of energy," Undine interrupted. "And while you use the power of fire, you cannot use many other techniques, especially those requiring actual thought."

"Only if you're still inexperienced," Salamander said. "I'll admit that none of my previous contractors were able to really master fire – only a few monsters have so far. But when you've mastered it, there are no drawbacks. No different from the other elements."

With the explanation complete, Salamander pointed her finger at Heinrich and vanished in a flash of light. Suddenly, Heinrich felt a searing heat, an intense wildfire that spread rapidly through his body.

 _This is what fire's like,_ Salamander said. _Imagine the feeling from before if you want to keep it under control._

Heinrich did as instructed. Once he no longer felt like he was about to burst into flames, he took to the air and rose out of Gold Volcano.

 _That's all four of us!_ Sylph said. _This is a hysteric – a historic moment. If things were more peaceful, we would have to put on a party to celebrate! It's a shame we have to put it on hold – but there's no reason we can't plan it now! Mandy, any ideas –_

In Heinrich's mental space, Sylph suddenly had her hair burst into flames. She rushed about frantically, trying to put it out.

 _Not now, Sylph,_ Salamander said. _We have enemies to burn._

Heinrich began flying towards the south. According to the information he'd heard in Grangold, some of it from its king, there was suspicious activity around Sabasa. The Monster Lord's forces around the city seemed to be withdrawing, but it was most likely a ruse, as Grangold's spies reported that a small group had flown from Hellgondo into the Safina region. Heinrich could only hope that he got there before Sabasa fell under attack.

-ooo-

During the flight to Sabasa, Gnome asked Heinrich to make a quick pass over her home of Safar to see its current condition. As the town was more or less along the route anyway, Heinrich had no reason to turn her down.

They arrived at Safar one day after leaving Gold Volcano. Or, more accurately, they arrived at what was left of Safar.

The once magnificent town was no more than ruins. Over two thirds of the buildings had been destroyed, and the few still standing looked as though they would collapse in a stiff wind. The statues, the works of art that had been the town's pride, were smashed to pieces. There was not a single person remaining – but there were plenty of bones.

Heinrich landed near Safar without saying a word. It was clear what fate had befallen this small desert town. The four spirits emerged from him.

Gnome walked slowly towards the ruins. She turned around, looking at each of the wrecked buildings. Then she fell to her knees and wailed.

"D-Don't cry, Gnomey!" Sylph said, buzzing around in panic. "Um, you just have to think happy thoughts – no, er…"

"The best we can do for Gnome is to be here for her," Undine said, laying a hand on Gnome's shoulder.

Salamander crouched down and hugged Gnome from the front. Sylph settled on Gnome's other shoulder and gently patted her cheek. Heinrich decided to stay back, as there didn't seem to be anything he could do to improve the situation.

After a minute or so, Gnome calmed down enough to speak. "I – I always knew this might happen someday, I've seen more than ten like this just in this war, but it's – " Gnome stopped for a moment, breathing heavily, " – it's only now that I feel this way. I – "

"And there's nothing wrong with that," Undine said. "People value the few that they know over the many that they do not."

"And if you still feel bad about this, then try and do everything you can to stop attacks like these from happening again," Salamander said. "That's how I used to… deal with grief."

Gnome nodded. The other spirits separated from her.

"Gnome, do you want to stay here for a while?" Heinrich asked.

"No… we have to move on," Gnome said, in a voice so quiet that it could barely be heard. "Although… first, I want to bury the remains."

Again, there was no reason to refuse this request. Gnome went around the town and buried the bones, in separate graves whenever individuals could be identified.

Heinrich and the other three spirits followed after Gnome. The destruction was even more horrifying up close. After all, it was difficult to tell if bones belonged to a child or an adult from a distance.

 _From the looks of things, the town was destroyed about a month ago, but I didn't hear anything about this,_ Heinrich thought. _Perhaps news of the destruction never made it elsewhere… or it wasn't considered significant, with the many other towns and villages that have been destroyed._

While they were following Gnome around, Salamander said to Heinrich, "Hey, from what I've heard on the way here, you used to be in a relationship with the Monster Lord?"

"This is hardly the time to talk about such things," Undine said.

"No, it's fine," Heinrich said. "To answer your question… basically, we met by chance over a year ago, back before she became the Monster Lord. I was a random orphan in a small village in the Noah region, one day me and another villager came across bandits, and she ended up saving us. It turned out that she was travelling around the world, an assignment from her mother, to learn more about it. One thing led to another, and I ended up accompanying her on her journey."

"Sounds like the beginning to a legend," Salamander commented.

"It wasn't really like that," Heinrich said, though he couldn't help but smile. "Anyway, I started trying to form contracts with you spirits because I – well, because I wanted to be something more than a random orphan with no future. And, along the way… I started getting close to her, until we were… inseparable. But then the previous Monster Lord died, and she had to go back and take up the position."

Heinrich looked at his left hand, where the ring he'd received from Alice was. He hadn't taken it off, except when bathing… but now, he couldn't remember the feeling that had made him wear it in the first place.

"Hmm, it's definitely a complicated situation," Salamander said. "From the way you described her, it sounds like the Monster Lord wasn't the kind of person who would start this war. But people change when they get the burden of leadership forced on them, and having to deal with the loss of a parent can't help. And with all the anger and hatred that was building up before, on both sides, there'd be a war sooner or later… Unless we can somehow get to Hellgondo and talk to the Monster Lord in person, we won't know what's really going on."

Undine blinked. "That is… orders of magnitude more intellect than I was expecting from you."

"Only a true idiot would underestimate other people like that," Salamander said. "Hey, why don't you – "

Gnome finished her work and returned, putting a stop to the bickering between the two spirits.

"Gnome, are you sure you've done everything you need to do?" Heinrich asked.

"Yeah, you don't need to hurry because of us!" Sylph said.

Without saying a word, Gnome nodded and then returned to Heinrich's head.

While he still felt a sense of unease, Heinrich decided that it was time to move on. The other three spirits returned and Heinrich took flight.

-ooo-

After two more days, Heinrich spotted Sabasa in the distance. The desert city had changed greatly from when he last saw it. The city-spanning garden had shrunken to less than a quarter of its previous extent, due to insufficient maintenance, damage from battle, or both of these factors. Fortunately, there were no signs of any attacking army yet.

Heinrich slowed down as he approached, to give the city's defenders time to recognise him. He alighted near the front gate. A large group of guards rushed out to greet him.

"Welcome to Sabasa, Hero Heinrich," the captain of the guards said, bowing. "A messenger has already been sent to the castle, you'll be able to meet with the king shortly."

"Thank you," Heinrich said.

"And, speaking personally, I'm grateful beyond words that you've come to this city," the captain added. "With you here, we could fend off all of the Monster Lord's armies, even if she was here in person to lead them."

"…You expect too much from me," Heinrich said.

Heinrich passed through the gate and headed along the main street towards the castle. He was mobbed by the people of Sabasa, who begged him to shake their hands, marry them, name their children, or some combination of the three. Now used to dealing with the attention, he politely rejected the requests and continued to advance.

After about one minute, there was a commotion up ahead. Using his four magical senses – with the addition of Salamander, he could now sense heat as well – Heinrich determined that a group of five was approaching: four in armour, and one whom he recognised.

Zarak, king of Sabasa, emerged from the crowd, flanked by his guards.

"Welcome, Heinrich!" Zarak said. "If it weren't for our current situation, I'd give you a grander reception than this."

"I'm afraid that such a reception would be wasted on me, Your Majesty," Heinrich said.

"At the very least, you should join me in the castle for lunch," Zarak insisted.

Heinrich had no reason to refuse the king's invitation, so he followed him to Sabasa Castle.

-ooo-

" – And with their leader slain, most of the others broke and fled. But one remained, who proved to be a tough opponent – "

" – I was sleeping in an inn in Grand Noah, when I was woken up by a powerful magical energy. It turned out to be the city's barrier activating. I realised Grand Noah was under attack, so I went outside – "

Heinrich and Zarak were sitting in a dining room of Sabasa Castle, trading stories about their experiences. The lunch was much simpler than one might expect: hard bread, dried lizard meat, and cactus fruit. This was partly due to supply problems and partly due to Zarak's personal preferences. As the king explained, he preferred to eat such coarse fare to prevent himself from growing soft.

Towards the start of the meal, Heinrich had revealed Grangold's information about the movements of the Monster Lord's army. It turned out that Zarak already knew most of this from his own sources and he had already begun preparing for the expected attack.

"In the past few days, their scouts have been deliberately showing themselves, trying to unnerve us and make us lower our guard," Zarak said. "They might launch their attack tonight, tomorrow or a week from now."

Once the lunch was over, Heinrich was free to explore the castle and talk to its inhabitants. Even though he'd already been in two castles, the experience was still rewarding for him.

There were the training grounds for the soldiers. Sabasa was known for having the strongest military among the four nations of Sentora, and the soldiers here definitely lived up to that reputation. Heinrich watched them train to work as a team, humans with monsters, mages with archers and melee fighters.

Then there were the various methods the servants used to maintain the large castle. One of these was a network of pipes that extended throughout the castle and allowed people to talk to each other over long distances. Another was a system of magic-powered elevators that were used for transporting goods between floors without the hassle of climbing staircases.

At the apex of the castle was a natural wonder: a small tree that was over a thousand years old, meaning that it had been alive since the Great Monster Wars and had outlasted many civilisations. According to its caretakers, the tree originally came from a nearby oasis. When Sabasa was founded, the tree was transplanted to the rooftop garden of the castle to act as a symbol of Sabasan resilience. Even now, with most resources scarce, the tree was painstakingly cared for – that was the extent to which the people of Sabasa valued it.

After several hours of exploring, and dealing with the attentions of countless admirers, Heinrich retreated to his assigned room. He didn't try to sleep, however. The healing properties of water meant that he could stay awake for longer and also needed less sleep to begin with. He planned on spending the night training with the power of fire, then sleeping for a few hours in the day, since the attack would almost certainly take place at night. This proved to be the correct decision.

Two hours after nightfall, Heinrich heard a knock on the door. Judging from the rapid frequency of the knocks and the way the person on the other side was breathing, the matter was urgent. Heinrich opened the door to find a servant there.

"The attack is about to start – the Monster Lord's army has appeared outside the walls," the servant said. "The king requests your presence immediately."

Heinrich quickly took out his armour from his baggage and put it on, then followed the servant to the castle's entrance hall. King Zarak was already here, dressed in his own suit of armour and carrying a formidable greatsword, and so were over a hundred knights and other fighters.

"The enemy is to the north and south!" Zarak said, though without the boisterousness of earlier. "I'll go out to command the defence on the north wall! Heinrich, you go to the south!"

"Understood!" Heinrich replied, before rushing out the front door.

The city barrier was deployed, casting a golden light on everything. The sounds of explosions could be heard in the distance. Heinrich flew to the south wall, landing on the top amidst the guards.

There were at least five hundred monsters outside the wall. They comprised a mixture of desert monsters, such as insects, lamias and dragonkin, and plant monsters, such as alraunes and dryads. They fired arrows and spells towards the barrier, while using the sand dunes as cover from the attacks of the city's defenders.

 _The barrier's holding for now,_ Heinrich thought. _That should give me enough time for this._

Heinrich held his hands forward and focused on the flow of the wind above the enemy army. After several seconds of focusing, he quickly raised his hands to the sky, removing the oxygen from the air around a tenth of the army.

Dozens of monsters collapsed to the ground. Those around them quickly realised what was going on, with some rushing into the affected area to pull their fellows out and some using wind magic to try to reverse the effect, but this opened them up to attacks from the Sabasans.

Heinrich moved along the wall, using attacks of wind and earth to disrupt the enemy army. He didn't bother using water, given the scarcity of it in this environment, and kept fire in reserve since he had little experience with it.

 _This place should hold,_ Heinrich thought. _I'll stay here for one more minute, then go to the north wall and see how the king's doing._

-ooo-

While Zarak and his retinue rushed towards the north wall, one of them cried out. He was Metion, an elderly man dressed in blue robes, and the personal magical advisor to the king of Sabasa.

"Your Majesty, there's a concentration of dark energy near the east wall!"

"Dark energy near the east – wait, that matches the reports from Grangold!" Zarak said. "Then the two attacks from the north and south are decoys! They're planning to breach the barrier from the east!"

Zarak pointed at two winged insect monsters among the soldiers accompanying him. "You and you, carry me to the east wall! Anyone else capable of flying or otherwise moving quickly across the city, follow me!"

The two insects grabbed Zarak by the arms and carried him eastward, with more soldiers following close behind. They landed on top of the east wall.

In the outlying desert, three monsters stepped out from behind a dune – a succubus, a lamia and a vampire. They were surrounded by many others who projected a barrier of purple light around them. The city's defenders immediately focused on the prominent target, but the barrier withstood all of their attacks.

"They're going to breach the barrier!" Zarak shouted at the top of his voice. "All units, prepare for an assault – "

The purple barrier disappeared, and the trio of monsters launched a ball of dark energy. The ball struck the golden barrier of the city, causing it to shatter.

Giving triumphant battle-cries, the Monster Lord's army advanced, flying or climbing towards the top of the wall.

Zarak raised his greatsword. "Warriors of Sabasa! You can either flee as cowards, or stand with me and fight with everything you've got! Who will stand with me!"

With no exceptions, the soldiers raised their weapons and shouted their agreement.

The battle was joined. The ranged fighters focused on shooting down the flying monsters, but a few managed to slip through and invade the city. The rest of the defenders fought against the tide of monsters climbing up to them.

Zarak fought with a mighty combination of strength and finesse. His crystal greatsword, propelled by muscles that had been forged in true combat, cut through metal armour, magical barriers, insect exoskeletons and dragon hide with ease. His movements, the product of constant training, were fluid and with minimal openings. Within ten seconds, he had slain as many monsters.

A wind slash raced towards Zarak, who parried it with his sword. The warrior-king then swung his sword forwards to meet the fists of the succubus responsible for the attack. He recognised her from the intelligence reports he'd received.

"You really live up to your reputation, huh!" said Kokka, one of the Three Nobles of Black.

"As do you!" Zarak shouted, pushing the succubus back.

The two traded blows. While succubi normally weren't physical fighters, a few of them chose to train in martial arts. These channelled their prodigious magical ability into enhancing their strength, speed and the durability of their body's striking surfaces. Indeed, Kokka showed no signs of injury despite using her body to clash with Zarak's sword.

While fighting against Kokka, Zarak sensed an attack from another direction. He pushed Kokka back and then twisted his body to avoid a spear thrust. The newcomer was a lamia: Kokuja, another member of the Three Nobles, reputed for her skill with the spear.

"It would be best to give up," Kokuja said. "You can no longer win at this point."

 _If I was fighting alone, that would be true…_ Zarak thought.

Two soldiers of Grangold, a human and an elf, attacked Kokka. The succubus may have been more powerful than both of them combined, but they still provided a vital distraction.

 _…but I'm not fighting alone!_

Zarak charged at Kokuja, his sword clashing against her spear and shield. Kokuja tried attacking by using her snake tail as a whip, but Zarak had experience in fighting lamias, allowing him to dodge.

The fight continued for over ten seconds, neither side gaining an advantage. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck Zarak in the side, delivering a shock that even he, a descendant of Sphinx, couldn't withstand. Zarak collapsed.

Kurobara, the vampire of the Three Nobles, landed on the wall. If the rumours were true, the only reason she wasn't Queen Vampire was because she had no interest in the position.

"My apologies for this, Your Majesty, but you really should have taken the offer to surrender," Kurobara said.

All around Zarak, the Sabasan soldiers were disheartened at the defeat of their king. The attacking monsters easily killed or captured them.

Kokka said to the king, "If it helps, you don't need to worry about your people. We'll be sure to treat them well."

From what Zarak had heard, these words were not a lie. Although Black Alice was infamous for her cruelty, not all of her subordinates were the same. However, he refused to surrender, for the simple reason that the battle was not over yet.

A powerful explosion shook the entire north wall. Zarak saw the hero Heinrich, clad in raging wind, reach out towards him. Unfortunately, Kokka quickly grabbed Zarak and pulled him away.

"Stay back!" Kokka ordered, holding Zarak's neck in a position that would allow her to easily break it.

Heinrich glared but remained still. Zarak could tell what he was thinking: even if he had the power of the spirit of wind itself, a high-ranking succubus would still be fast enough to kill Zarak first. And Zarak was still in no condition to struggle out of the hold.

 _But there's one other thing I can do. Haven't had the chance to use this in real combat for a while, but…_

Zarak used earth magic to shake the ground beneath him. It was a simple spell, one that even a novice earth mage could easily cast, but it achieved its objective. Kokka staggered, creating an opportunity for Heinrich to grab Zarak and flee with him into the city.

Heinrich carefully set down Zarak among a group of Sabasan soldiers. "Are you alright, Your Majesty!?" he asked.

"I'm fine – so go back there and stop them!" Zarak said.

Heinrich nodded and flew off again. The soldiers helped Zarak into the relative safety of a nearby house.

 _To think I'd need to be saved by someone not half my age… I need more training._

-ooo-

Heinrich flew back towards the north wall. He didn't fly to the top again, however – his targets had already entered the city and were now standing in the middle of the main street.

 _So these are the Three Nobles of Black…the direct subordinates of Black Alice,_ Heinrich thought.

 _Y-Yeah… but, Heinrich, are you sure you're okay?_ Sylph asked.

 _I'm fine, Sylph, no need to worry._

The Three Nobles approached Heinrich. Their subordinates, as well as the soldiers of Sabasa, kept a careful distance.

"So you're Heinrich?" Kokka said. "I can see why she – I can see that you definitely live up to your reputation."

"I've been wanting to test my skills against you for a while," Kokuja said.

"Though perhaps it would be better for us to try and avoid fighting?" Kurobara said.

"It's a bit too late for that," Heinrich replied.

 _Wait…_ Undine said. _It seems that they know about your relationship with –_

Heinrich attacked the Three Nobles using a combination of wind and earth: a barrage of wind blades that flew in every direction, and a localised earthquake to destabilise their footing.

As expected, the Three Nobles dealt with these attacks easily. Kokka took to the air and used her own wind magic to negate the blades. Kokuja clung to the ground with her long tail and blocked the blades with her shield. Kurobara negated both the wind blades and the earthquake in the area around her, a formidable display of magical skill.

After that, Heinrich was forced on the defensive. The Three Nobles harried him from all directions, leaving him almost no opportunities to attack. They moved with perfect coordination, making up for each other's shortcomings: when one left herself open after an attack, the other two would keep the pressure on Heinrich to prevent him exploiting this. If Heinrich wasn't a master of three different elements, he would have lost within seconds.

 _I'll never get anywhere at this rate,_ Heinrich thought. _With the amount of power we're slinging around, there's no way for any of the Sabasans to help. I'll have to take a risk._

 _Are you sure about this?_ Undine asked. _If you activate the power of fire now, it will stop you from using water._

 _But there's no other choice, is there?_ Salamander retorted. _The longer this goes on, the more the city gets smashed up. There's no battle without risk! Now, remember what I taught you…_

Heinrich imagined every person he had saved so far, and every person he had failed. His body heated up immensely, all of his exhaustion vanished, and his sword was engulfed in raging flames.

There was no time to waste. Heinrich swung his sword, creating a gigantic wave of flame that rushed towards Kurobara. Unable to dodge in time, Kurobara screamed as she was hit by the natural weakness of a vampire.

"Damn you!" Kokuja said, as she charged towards Heinrich with her spear surrounded in dark energy.

Heinrich parried the spear thrust. "If you aren't prepared to get hurt, then don't go to war in the first place! Blame your Monster Lord for this!"

"You don't know anything about her!" Kokuja retorted. "You don't know why she's doing this!"

"I know that I can stop this war by killing her!" Heinrich shouted.

The hero and the lamia exchanged countless blows, each one powerful enough to demolish a building. Kokuja was both strong and skilled with her weapon, with several of her attacks piercing through even Heinrich's earth-reinforced body. However, the power of fire created a difference that could not be ignored. Heinrich eventually knocked Kokuja's spear out of her hands.

Suddenly, everything within Heinrich's sight vanished, replaced by a purple mist.

 _This is – succubus mental magic!?_ Heinrich thought.

Heinrich immediately focused on clearing his mind. He heard some rapidly spoken words, but dismissed these as a mental attack. His vision returned to normal.

Kokuja was now binding him with her long tail. Since his sword was lying a short distance away, Heinrich drew a dagger, imbued it with the power of fire, and stabbed it into the tail.

The lamia grit her teeth but did not release her hold. "Wait, you have to listen to – "

Heinrich broke free of the tail and charged forward, forcing Kokuja to raise her shield to avoid being stabbed in the abdomen. Immediately letting go of his dagger, Heinrich grabbed the lamia by her tail and swung her like a giant flail, slamming her face-first into the ground.

A heavy mass tackled Heinrich from behind and locked an arm around his neck. It was Kokka, who was now attempting to strangle him.

"For Founder's sake, just give up already!" Kokka shouted.

While keeping his mental defences up, Heinrich elbowed the succubus, hard enough that he heard a crack. It took five attempts, but eventually Kokka released him and flew away.

Heinrich used a small gust of wind to lift his sword into his hand, then surveyed the situation. Kokka was hovering in the air and gingerly holding her ribs. Kokuja was unsteadily lifting herself off the ground. Kurobara was in the worst condition, with her entire body covered in burns and her breathing faint.

At that moment, Heinrich felt a shift in the wind caused by someone exiting a building. He turned to see that it was none other than the king of Sabasa.

"If you value your lives, leave Sabasa at once!" Zarak boomed.

The soldiers of Sabasa raised their weapons and charged at the enemy. With bitter expressions, Kokka and Kokuja grabbed their unconscious ally and retreated, along with the rest of their army.

However, Heinrich was in no condition to pursue them. His body was covered in puncture wounds, which bled profusely, and his throat was bruised. Moreover, the power of fire chose this time to run out. A hammer of exhaustion, like that caused by running full speed for hours on end, slammed into his body. It took all of his effort just to remain standing.

A large hand grasped Heinrich by the arm and supported him. "It's alright, you may collapse now," Zarak said.

"It seems that I'm always doing that after a battle," Heinrich said.

Zarak laughed. "If you can hold on for a few minutes longer, I can find you a more comfortable place to lie down. But if you're fine with the hard ground, I won't stop you."

And so the Battle of Sabasa ended, with a king helping an unblessed hero back to the castle.

-ooo-

Sintiel was awoken by a knock on the door. She sat up, her body shaking with nervousness.

"Hmm? What's wrong?" asked the young man lying beside her in the small bed. "It's just some of the village boys playing pranks again, they always do that at this time of day."

"I know, Peter, it's just… I keep worrying about them finding out about what I'm doing. About us," Sintiel explained.

Peter sat up as well and rubbed his eyes. "You keep talking about that, but would it really be that bad? Surely your fellow angels wouldn't – "

"They would – Heaven is nothing like the stories," Sintiel said. She lowered her gaze. "I didn't tell you this before, since I didn't want you to be afraid of me. Everything and everyone there is under Ilias' control. If she tells us that fire burns because of her power, we have to pretend to agree with it. If she orders us to punish sinners by raping them for twenty thousand years non-stop, we have to obey."

"Twenty thousand – there's no way that's true," Peter said.

"It's true, I've seen dozens of angels doing it," Sintiel said.

There was another knock on the door. Sintiel decided that she might as well deal with it. Even if it was a prank, confirming this would allow her to calm down.

The lowly angel got out of bed and put on her clothes. After making sure that her wings and halo were hidden, she walked to the front door and opened it.

"Hi there. Having fun?" asked Lucifina, the angel whom Sintiel dreaded the most.

Sintiel immediately unleashed her holy power and tried to blast Lucifina in the face with a laser. This attack could have vaporised the head of the average monster, but it did absolutely nothing to the Seraph.

Lucifina punched Sintiel in the chest, sending her flying into the opposite wall of the small house.

"Come on, is that all you've got?" Lucifina asked, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. "You ninth circle brats really need to get more training."

"Who – Who on earth are you!?" Peter shouted.

"Hm, not bad looking, I can see why she was interested in you," Lucifina said. "The other angels will be happy to have a new toy."

"Don't you dare touch him!" Sintiel shouted, despite the pain of her crushed ribs.

Lucifina reached down and lifted Sintiel up by her hair. "Do you really think you're in a position to be saying that? You know the rules, and you broke them."

Peter grabbed a shovel and made a futile attempt at attacking Lucifina, but was easily knocked aside. Enraged, Sintiel kicked and clawed at her superior, only to be silenced by a brutal punch to the face.

"Did you think you could lie on your reports forever?" Lucifina continued, as if nothing had happened. "Sure, 'thou must not have consensual intercourse with humans' is a weird and stupid rule, if I'm being honest, but I'm still bringing you in."

"You… have so much power… and you don't agree with Ilias… why do you still follow her?" Sintiel asked.

"Because apparently, angels these days are stupid as well as weak," Lucifina said mockingly. "Because that old hag is still far more powerful than I am, and that's not even including my older sister. I'm not going to get myself killed just because she doesn't let me do everything I want."

Lucifina produced a laser from one finger and swept it around, setting fire to the house. Sintiel watched in despair as five years of memories were reduced to ash.

A brilliant light surrounded the three of them, dispersing to reveal the fantastic scenery of Heaven. Hundreds of angels were gathered, many of them ninth circle angels like Sintiel, but not a single one of them was her ally.

"Welcome home," Lucifina said, with a terrifying smile.

* * *

 _AN: Heinrich fighting the Three Nobles of Black is a canonical event, though the details are my invention._

 _It occurred to me that I didn't have any sympathetic angel POVs yet, so here's one. Sintiel is inspired by the backstory of Experimental Organism A-3, though she isn't necessarily the same person._


	30. Chapter 29: Decomposition

In her room at the Artiste Mansion, Akame was hard at work on her secret project.

 _The modifications to the digestive system are complete… Now, if I apply a light dose of dark energy to this ganglion, I should be able to – got it!_

Akame released the beetle in her hands. In contrast to an unmodified beetle, this one did not immediately attempt to escape.

Then Akame took out a severed human arm inscribed with necromantic runes, one of the spare parts from her mother's storage, and channeled dark energy into it, causing the arm to begin twitching. The modified beetle maintained its position… then Akame gave it a telepathic command to remove its inhibitions.

Suddenly, the beetle flew towards the arm and chewed a tunnel into the flesh. The feeding was surprisingly noisy, though a soundproofing enchantment on the room ensured that this wouldn't attract unwanted attention. The arm writhed around for a few seconds, then ceased all movement. After about ten minutes, the skin of the arm rippled and five more beetles chewed their way out. Like their parent, the newly emerged beetles remained in place obediently instead of flying away.

Akame dissected the arm to find the corpse of the original beetle. It had devoted all of its faculties towards reproduction and expired immediately afterward.

 _Prey recognition is working… it went straight for the zombie arm instead of my flesh or anything else in the room… The life cycle is also working as I want, it should take less than ten generations for them to consume everything… All I have to do is make as large a starting population as possible, release them, and then…_

And then Akame remembered the sheer number of zombies at her mother's command. The Artiste Mansion was the size of some small castles, with three main floors and numerous wings and towers, and yet there were enough zombies to patrol all of the corridors and the entirety of the grounds, with even more kept in storage. Then there was the quality of the individual zombies. Even the basic models were stronger, faster and much more resilient than they had been in life, while the masterpieces equalled, or even exceeded, Queen-class monsters. Last month, a group of these zombies had faced an army from San Ilia that was ten times its size, and had utterly crushed that army.

Akame slumped against the table. The beetles stood by, awaiting instructions that did not come.

 _I can't… I can't fight against her. There's no point. I'd just get killed._

Shaking her head, Akame took out a thick book from a drawer and began reading. This was her assigned reading for the week. Akame would need to stay up for most of the night to finish it on time, but that was the kind of thing she'd accepted for the past year. No matter what, she could not defy her mother.

Akame glanced sideways. The beetles seemed to be looking expectantly at her, despite not having enough room in their tiny brains for that kind of intelligence.

 _I need to get rid of them, can't leave any evidence she might find…_

Akame reached a hand towards the beetles. It would only take a slight movement to crush them. But her hand stopped.

 _You're just being silly. Insects hatch and die in the millions every second. And these aren't even naturally occurring organisms, they're artificial creations that don't belong in the outside world. That's right, I need to dispose of them so they don't become an invasive species._

Akame closed her hand around the beetles… but she could not apply the slight pressure needed to finish the job.

 _So even for something like this, I'm useless._

Suddenly, there was a faint tap on the window. Akame whirled around to see someone hanging just outside the window. It was someone she hadn't seen in a long time, but she'd recognize that purple hair and youthful face anywhere.

"Heinrich!" Akame said, moving quickly towards the window. She switched to telepathy. _What are you doing here!?_

 _Taking a big risk,_ Heinrich replied. _Can you let me in?_

Akame looked around nervously, but none of the zombie guards seemed to have spotted the intruder. She opened the window to let Heinrich in, then snapped it shut behind him.

"How did you even get here?" Akame asked. "There are zombies all over the place!"

"You remember how I made a contract with the spirit of wind, Sylph, when we met before?" Heinrich said. "Well, now I've done the same with the other three Great Spirits. And I've gotten pretty good at them, enough to keep myself hidden from most people."

Akame had heard the rumours – even if her mother kept her from leaving the mansion, she still told her about important news – but rumours couldn't prepare her for meeting the real thing.

"Anyway, are you alright?" Heinrich asked.

"I – I'm perfectly fine, you need to go before my mother catches you," Akame said.

Heinrich looked at Akame, in a manner that she found uncomfortable. It was as though he was seeing all of her secrets – which was entirely possible, considering his unprecedented power.

"You… don't want to be here, do you?" Heinrich said. He looked at the beetles, which Akame had set down on the table in her haste, and the severed arm. "You're trying to find some way of fighting back against your mother."

"That's not true, I'm perfectly fine!" Akame said stiffly, picking up the book. "See! I'm just focusing on my studies, making sure I'm able to carry on the family name."

"Even without the spirits, I can tell that's a lie," Heinrich said. "Back when we first met, you told me about how you ran away from your family because you didn't like what your mother was doing. And now, even after all this time, you – you – "

Inexplicably, Heinrich looked confused. He grabbed Akame by the shoulders.

"You – you don't agree with what your mother's doing!?" Heinrich asked, more forcefully than before.

"No! Of course not!" Akame admitted, unnerved by the dramatic shift in behaviour.

"But do you know what she's done, all the people she's killed, all the corpses she's defiled?" Heinrich asked.

"Of course I know all that, how couldn't I?" Akame replied.

Heinrich released Akame. His gaze turned to a spot on the wall and he started muttering under his breath.

Akame, unlike most succubi, wasn't that good at reading people's thoughts and feelings. It was a trait born from devotion to one's field of study, a trait that – much to her disgust – she shared with her mother. But even she could tell what was happening here.

"Heinrich… are _you_ all right?" Akame asked. "Something's definitely bothering you, what is it?"

Heinrich took a few seconds to answer, and even then he didn't look Akame in the eyes. "To be honest, there is. Everyone looks up to me as a legendary hero, the one capable of slaying dragons and saving princesses. They – they don't see all the dead bodies in my wake. Sure, I've fought off armies on my own. But most of the monsters in those armies aren't evil, they're just fighting for their leader or to protect themselves, and I can't spare everyone."

"But if you don't fight, there would be even more people dying," Akame said.

"Yeah, that's what everyone says," Heinrich said. He took a deep breath, then turned towards Akame. "Anyway, I've come here to stop your mother's attacks on San Ilia, by capturing her alive if possible, and to rescue any prisoners she's taken. I should be able to sneak you out of here first, get you to a safe distance. Before that, can you tell me where your mother is, and about anything in this mansion I need to be careful of?"

Akame told Heinrich the information he was after. In a corner of her mind, she thought about what she had just learned.

 _Even someone as powerful as him has issues of his own. In that case, how can I just give up and stay out of the fight?_

"One more thing. I'm going with you too," Akame said.

"Are you sure?" Heinrich asked.

"Yes," Akame said resolutely. "It'll be easier for me to show you around, and as you pointed out before, I've been working on my own way to fight against my mother."

Akame explained the details of her countermeasure. Heinrich nodded.

Once the two of them completed their preparations, they left the room, ready to take down Aome Artiste.

-ooo-

" – and the troops assigned to Sabasa have withdrawn to Fairy's Island, where they are now recovering from their wounds. That concludes my report."

"Thank you, Millinda," Alice said. "Why don't you go to the kitchens and get something to eat?"

"I'll do that, Your Majesty," Millinda said, then she left the room.

Alice stood up from her throne and walked towards the medical wing of the Monster Lord's Castle. She put on a casual front, but her heart was shaken by the news that she had just received.

She entered the medical wing. There weren't that many patients, as the regenerative capabilities of monsters meant that they rarely needed to spend a long time in recovery. Alice passed between the rows of beds until she found the Three Nobles of Black, with Kurobara lying in bed and the other two standing anxiously around her.

Kokka turned and gasped. "You're back!"

Kokuja bowed, and pushed Kokka into a bow as well. "We're glad that you've returned safely, Your Majesty."

"But it seems that some weren't so fortunate," Alice said.

"Yes… I'm sorry for failing you," Kurobara said.

"Considering what you were up against, I don't blame you," Alice said. "Hmm… I wonder if I should see this famous hero for myself. I'm sure he'll be quite fun to play with."

"If you did that, it would be of great benefit to monsterkind," Kokuja said. "You would certainly win against him, and with the hero gone, humanity would fall soon after."

Alice discreetly checked her surroundings, confirming that nobody was looking in their direction, then grasped Kokka's hand, forming a direct telepathic link.

 _Sorry,_ Alice said.

 _We knew what we were in for,_ Kokka said. _Now, listen carefully…_

Alice received a compressed burst of information, then pulled her hand away from Kokka's. They had been in contact for only a few seconds.

"Unfortunately, it seems that this hero is always moving around, with nobody sure of where he might travel to next," Alice. "It's a pity, but I don't know when I might be able to meet him. Anyway, you three should take this time to relax, I'll be sending you out again soon enough."

Alice bade goodbye to the Three Nobles and left the medical wing. As she walked aimlessly through the corridors, she thought about what she had learned from Kokka.

 _'I tried explaining everything to Heinrich telepathically, both at a distance and up close, but he thought these were attacks and blocked me out. We also didn't have any opportunity to say it out loud, not unless we were willing to let the whole world know._

For Alice, this war was a fine balancing act. If her side had too many losses, then she would lose influence and hence her control over her armies. But if certain elements of her armies gained victories, then the humans and their allied monsters would suffer more than necessary, and it would be difficult to eventually make peace with them. It was for this reason that she had sent the Three Nobles of Black to lead the attack on Sabasa. With them in command, the impact on the captured city would be minimised.

Heinrich's presence in the city was also accounted for. If he was able to repel the attack, then Sabasa would be safe and Alice's faction wouldn't lose much influence, given the reputation of the hero. If he failed, then it would be simple for the Three Nobles to tell him about Alice's plans. And if he wasn't there, then Sabasa would simply be captured.

While Alice was thinking, a familiar face came into view. Her younger sister. She was visibly paler and thinner than she had been a year ago – symptoms of stress that were increasingly common among the inhabitants of this castle.

"So you've finally decided to come back, you sadistic idiot," Dinah said. "Have you had enough of torturing people for fun?"

"Oh, I don't think I'll ever be able to get enough of that," Alice replied casually. "Remember that time I pulled off a butterfly's wings, one by one, to see how many wings it needed to fly? Turns out that it needs two wings – but anyway, I digress. The point is, now that I'm all grown up, I've realised that I can't keep doing childish things like playing with butterflies. A Monster Lord needs to have more mature interests."

Dinah rolled her eyes. "If you think that skipping around in a dress like that and carrying a teddy bear is mature, then there's no helping you."

Without saying another word, Dinah walked away. Alice did the same, moving in the opposite direction.

 _This should satisfy them,_ Alice thought.

A tiny fairy, a spy sent by one of the three great queens, had been hiding in a crack in the wall and observing the conversation. She may have thought herself undetected, but Alice had sensed her from some distance away, and Dinah should have as well.

 _There are very few butterflies here on Hellgondo,_ Alice reminisced. _When I first saw one ten years ago, it seemed like an amazing sight and I tried keeping it alive for as long as possible. It died after a week… Dinah tried cheering me up by pointing out that there were lots of butterflies in the forests of the Noah region._

Alice climbed a set of staircases, heading for the roof of the castle.

 _'Our army in the Noah region will move again in two weeks'. A memory to represent the place, a number to represent the time. It's a simple message, but with Dinah passing it on through her agents, it can reach the ears of the human kings and give them time to prepare. A few words can save thousands of lives._

Cold, bitter winds assaulted Alice. She walked to the edge of the roof and looked out over the desolate scenery of Hellgondo.

 _It's been more than a year, and still the fighting goes on. If this was like one of those books that Dinah used to read, this would be the work of Ilias, sending her angels to sow hatred and mistrust in order to weaken monsters until we can be wiped out. But it's not that simple. This is a war started by humans and monsters, and it's up to us to end it._

Alice sighed. She thought back to one of the lies she had said earlier, about how nobody could was sure of where Heinrich might travel to next.

Throughout her reign, Alice had said more lies than she could possibly count. But this lie was far more blatant than any of the rest.

A year of travelling together gave Alice an intimate understanding of how Heinrich thought and acted. Whenever she had given orders to her armies, Alice had always considered where Heinrich was likely to be. This allowed her to discreetly eliminate the more aggressive and monster-supremacist members of her armies, minimise the damage to the human nations, and keep Heinrich away from fights that he could not yet win. Her predictions were not perfect and she did not have absolute control of her armies – as Fenghuang's attack on Grand Noah and Sköll's attack on San Ilia had shown – but she was still successful in the majority of cases.

 _I'm treating everyone as pieces in this game… even my friends… even him. There's no making up for what I've done._

Alice thought back to when the Three Nobles had first suggested trying to contact Heinrich in the middle of battle. She had agreed, as it would have been stranger to reject the suggestion… but, deep down, she had been hoping that they would fail.

-ooo-

Akame looked back. Two more zombies were chasing after them, making a total of five. "We need to clear them out again!" she said.

"Got it!" replied Heinrich, who was carrying Akame as he ran.

A razor-thin blade of wind shot towards the zombies, severing their legs. Akame released five beetles, which burrowed into the dead flesh and began to reproduce. She also sent out a telepathic order to make the beetles remain inside the corpses for now.

More zombies appeared after just a few seconds. By then, however, they had already arrived at their destination.

They came across a large magic circle, over two metres across and with complex patterns that must have taken hours to draw. Heinrich used an earth-infused stomp to smash the circle to pieces. As soon as the circle was destroyed, the nearby zombies slowed down noticeably.

The sheer number of zombies here consumed more energy than any necromancer, even a master like Akame's mother, could provide. To solve this issue, Aome had set up these magic circles all over the mansion to tap into the power of the earth. Incidentally, she brought along portable versions of these circles whenever she went out to war, but these provided less energy and so she could not mobilise as many zombies.

"That's three down," Akame said. "Time to move on to the next one!"

Suddenly, a giant zombie burst through the wall. It shrugged off Heinrich's attack and swung three fists at him, forcing him to jump back.

The newly arrived zombie was one of the many examples of the depths Aome would sink to. It was constructed of several different monsters: the base appeared to be a beast, but the limbs of dragonkin and the hard exoskeleton of an insect had been added on.

The chimeric zombie let out a roar, one that sounded disturbingly similar to an agonised scream, and charged. Instead of fighting it, Heinrich and Akame moved on to the next magic circle, the latter continuing to release beetles.

"Can't you bring that thing down?" Akame asked.

"I could if I was fighting it in the open," Heinrich replied. "But this environment limits what I can do. I can't use my full strength without collapsing the building, I can't use my full speed in these confined spaces, and the distorted mana in the air interferes with my senses."

"So that's why – sorry for doubting you," Akame said.

"It's fine – " Heinrich said, dodging another attack from the chimeric zombie. "Anyway, we have bigger things to worry about!"

More zombies joined the pursuit, each more horrifying than the last. Some of them no longer resembled any natural monster, looking more like shapeless masses of flesh. Some of them retained the ability to use magic, so spears of ice and rays of disintegrating light shot towards Heinrich and Akame.

Without warning, the floor beneath them collapsed. Akame spotted a horde of zombies waiting on the floor below – it was a trap.

However, Heinrich proved that he truly lived up to his reputation. While still falling, he sent out a wave of flame that knocked down the zombies and ignited them. He landed on his feet and continued running.

"This wasn't how we planned it, but as long as we're here, why don't we help out the prisoners?" Heinrich said.

"But there's so many zombies, we can't free them while keeping them safe," Akame said.

"That's true, but we can make sure that it's harder for your mother to use them as hostages, if it comes to that," Heinrich said.

After Heinrich explained his suggestion, Akame agreed.

They proceeded to the lowest level of the mansion, breaking through more zombies, to reach the dungeons where Aome kept her subjects for live experimentation. These consisted of two rows of cells, containing almost fifty people of various backgrounds.

"Everyone, can you hear me?" Akame called out. "We're here to help you!"

The prisoners cowered in their cells. While this could have been due to the sounds of battle and the sudden appearance of strangers, another plausible explanation was that they were afraid of someone who resembled their tormentor. In her entire life, Akame had never hated her mother more than now.

But there was no other option. Heinrich was performing two duties at once, fighting off the zombies and manipulating the stone of the walls to block off the dungeon door, so he had no room to do anything else. It was up to her.

Akame swallowed and said, "I'm Akame Artiste, the daughter of the one who imprisoned you here, but I don't agree with her at all! I'm here with the hero Heinrich, who some of you may have heard about, to rescue you. But we need to seal off the dungeons first in case my mother tries taking you hostage. We _will_ be back for you, I promise!"

These words resulted in a confused mess of questions, but Akame had no time to answer them. More and more zombies were approaching every second. Once Heinrich finished constructing a wall across the dungeon entrance, Akame forced herself to turn away and move on. She left a number of beetles behind, to feed on any zombies that tried breaking into the dungeons.

 _If I had given up back then, those people would have spent the rest of their lives in terror, right up until my mother killed them, and then they wouldn't even be allowed to rest afterwards,_ Akame thought. _And more people would always be brought in to suffer the same fate. But I won't let it continue. I won't let you hurt anyone else, mother!_

They arrived at the fourth and final magic circle, located in a large room on the west side of the mansion. Unfortunately, it was under heavy guard. Five of the chimeric zombies stood around the circle, along with a zombie scylla. And although the zombie scylla was the smallest of the group, Akame sensed that she was more powerful than the other five combined.

"Wait – isn't that the Queen Scylla?" Heinrich said, shocked.

Akame blinked and looked closely at the zombie scylla. "It is… but just when did she die!? And how did my mother get her hands on her corpse!?"

"I killed her, a few months ago," Heinrich explained. "This was just before the meeting of the kings in San Ilia. The Queen Scylla led an attack on Port Natalia, so I went there and fought off the attack, killing its leader in the process. But wasn't your mother allied with – "

"We fought on the same side, but there was no more to it," said the voice of Aome Artiste.

Purple mist appeared above the magic circle. The image of Aome appeared within the mist.

Akame was filled with dread at the sight of her mother. Even with her newfound resolve, a lifetime of abuse could not be escaped so easily. However, she had enough presence of mind to reach into her pocket and crush a pouch of concentrated pheromone.

"I worked with her purely because of the Monster Lord's orders," Aome said. "There was no sentiment of any kind between us. After you killed her, I retrieved her corpse and turned it into a zombie. It took several months of work, but in the end I succeeded. I created a zombie with the full might of a Queen-class monster. I suppose I should thank you for granting me this opportunity."

"I've known you for years, but you _still_ manage to surprise me, mother," Akame said.

"If you think this rebellion of yours can stop me, you are sorely mistaken," Aome declared. "The damage you have inflicted on my residence and army can be repaired in a few months. And the Monster Lord will reward me immensely once I defeat the hero who has stymied her so. As for you, my daughter, I can deal with you by simply putting you into a vegetative state and using you to birth a proper heir. I refrained from doing so before – your intelligence would have been a useful complement to mine, had you agreed to learn the family craft – but you have forced my hand."

"I heard of her reputation, but – your mother actually manages to be worse than that," Heinrich said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Yeah, nobody ever realises just how bad she is until they meet her in person," Akame said. She heard a faint buzzing and smiled. "Unfortunately, mother, this is _our_ victory."

Countless beetles swarmed into the room from every entrance and, moving as a single mass, rushed towards the zombies. The Queen Scylla whipped her many tentacles about with blinding speed, knocking down all the beetles near her, but the other zombies weren't so lucky. The beetles burrowed into the zombies and rapidly destroyed them from the inside.

Heinrich vanished from beside Akame. In the next instant, Akame spotted him standing behind the Queen Scylla, whose head was cleanly severed. The Queen-class zombie, the pride of Aome Artiste, collapsed to the ground. The other zombies followed suit.

"What – that's not possible!" Aome exclaimed, shocked for the very first time in Akame's memory. "These were my strongest creations! There was no way you could have – "

"You really shouldn't have underestimated what insects can do," Akame said. "Your zombies might be well-preserved enough to not be attacked normally, but all it takes is some basic modifications to create insects that will happily feed on them. I kept these beetles waiting until now so you wouldn't notice them."

"And the Queen Scylla was a much tougher opponent when she was still alive," Heinrich added.

Akame ordered the beetles to cease feeding on the zombies in the room, to instead disperse throughout the mansion and attack the remaining zombies.

"This would be useless against any other army – after all, a few big fire spells would burn away the whole swarm," Akame said. "But zombification decreases magical ability, so you didn't have enough mages to handle this."

"It's not possible…. not possible…" Aome repeated, her gaze unfocused.

Heinrich destroyed the final magic circle. The mana in the air returned to its normal state within a few seconds, allowing Akame to sense her mother's position.

The two of them left the room and walked through the mansion, passing by countless immobile zombies and the beetles feeding on them, until they arrived at what appeared to be the door to a normal storage room. Heinrich tore the door off its hinges, revealing that the room was actually large and filled with various crystals, circles and other magical tools.

Aome was curled up at the back of the room. She looked up fearfully as the two entered.

"Surrender, and I can promise you'll be treated well," Heinrich said.

"No… this can't be happening…" Aome said, shaking her head slowly. "There's no way I could be defeated… not by a human… not by my foolish daughter… Yes… this must all be a nightmare…"

"This is no nightmare," Akame said. "You're going to pay for _everything_ you've done."

Aome suddenly reached for one of the nearby crystals. Before she could do anything with it, Heinrich stepped up to her, knocked the crystal out of her hand, and placed his hand on her forehead. Aome slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"Did she – did she just try to commit suicide?" Akame asked.

"Yeah, it's fairly common these days," Heinrich replied. "If you're afraid of what will happen if you're taken alive, why not stop that happening in the first place?"

Akame lowered her eyes to the floor. "And what would you say if I told you that… I was hoping she wouldn't surrender?"

"That's also something I've come across many times," Heinrich replied, his tone unchanged. "It's something I understand personally… Anyway, we need to get going, the prisoners must be worried about what's going on."

Heinrich picked up Aome and left the room, Akame following close behind.

When Heinrich unsealed the entrance to the dungeons, a torrent of sound rushed out. Akame stopped in her tracks, but Heinrich remained unfazed.

"It's over, Aome Artiste is defeated, you're all free now!" Heinrich announced.

After setting down Aome on the floor, Heinrich took the dungeon keys off a hook near the door. Using stone from the walls, he created dozens of duplicates of the keys and threw them into the cells.

Over the next few minutes, the prisoners scrambled to find the keys for their own shackles and cell doors. Due to the trial and error involved, they took varying amounts of time to do this and left their cells at different times. Heinrich used his water magic to administer first aid to the prisoners.

Akame was left feeling useless. The only things she could do were being the recipient of suspicious gazes and stopping the more vengeful prisoners from attacking her unconscious mother. And if she was honest with herself, she didn't particularly want to do the latter.

Once the prisoners were all free, Heinrich and Akame led them to the larder to get some proper food in them. To avoid disturbing them, Akame had her beetles stop feeding and hide within the remains of the zombies – though this was only partially effective, since there were still piles of half-eaten corpses. More than a few of the former prisoners vomited at the sight.

The larder of the Artiste Mansion was filled with tonnes of food, originally prepared in the unlikely event that Aome needed to entertain a large number of guests. Unsurprisingly, the former prisoners threw themselves at the food, with such relish that some had to be stopped from overfeeding themselves.

The final question was what to do with the mansion and all of the zombie corpses. This was something that Akame could answer easily.

"Destroy it all."

Akame sent out a death spell specifically designed to affect only her modified beetles. Then she and the former prisoners left the mansion, taking out various supplies. Heinrich went around the interior to set fire to anything flammable before joining them.

The mansion burned for almost an entire hour. By the time it was reduced to blackened stone, the sun had begun to rise above the horizon. The former prisoners cheered at the sight.

They began the long trek to San Ilia. The weaker individuals were transported in carts that they had taken from the mansion. Aome soon regained consciousness, but she was tied up securely with magic-sealing shackles – one of her own tools, which she had used for prisoners with magical skill.

Heinrich approached Akame and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Like the world has been lifted off my shoulders," Akame said.

"That's good to hear. What do you plan on doing next?" Heinrich asked.

"I think I'll go to San Ilia. It'll be the first time I've ever been in a major city. I should be able to apply some of my knowledge to the war effort," Akame replied. "But I still don't understand _why_ this war is happening. The previous Monster Lord was assassinated, sure, but the circumstances behind that were so suspicious that even my mother noticed. It's also weird how the Church of Ilias turned aggressive so quickly… I've heard that the current Monster Lord enjoys causing death and suffering for the sake of it, which is why she's called 'Black Alice', but can it really be that simple?"

"Sometimes it can," Heinrich said, though his response was delayed by several seconds. "Some people really do just want nothing more than that."

Neither of them said anything else for a while. The sun rose until it had nearly reached its apex. Only at this point did Akame ask the question that had been building up within her.

"…Heinrich, I didn't have the opportunity to ask you this before, but… how is Mary doing?" Akame asked.

Heinrich didn't stop or slow down. He simply looked at Akame, expression neutral, and said, "She's doing just fine, there's no need to worry about her. Right now she's on the other side of the Natalia region, helping take back one of the villages that fell to the Monster Lord's army."

These words were perfectly normal in both content and tone. But for the rest of the journey, and up until they eventually parted in San Ilia, Akame couldn't find the courage to ask Heinrich about this subject again.

-ooo-

While flying through the night sky, Lilith and Lilim spotted Succubus Village in the distance.

"It's been so long since we came here, sister," Lilith said.

"I hope everything's fine," Lilim said.

"Are you expecting there to be trouble here?" Lilith asked. "This is far away from the front lines."

"It's not rational, but… after all the things we've seen, I can't help but expect the worst," Lilim said.

Lilith and Lilim both thought back on the atrocities of the war. The Gold region had never been densely populated to begin with, and the repeated attacks by the monster side had taken a serious toll. Several of the villages and towns had been outright depopulated, their inhabitants killed or carted off elsewhere. The only remaining strongholds were Grangold, the towns near Grangold, and Gold Volcano – even the strongest monsters were wary of the Great Spirit of Fire.

"All we can do is perform our duties, and try to minimise the suffering that happens within our reach," Lilith said.

"True," Lilim said. "Anyway, I'm feeling exhausted. It's been three solid days we've gone without sleep."

"Me too… I'd sleep on a haystack if there wasn't anything else around," Lilith said. "Let's make ourselves known, get a quick meal, and go to bed."

As they approached Succubus Village, one of its inhabitants flew up to meet them. Lilith and Lilim recognised her as Thyra, the succubus they'd left in charge during their absence. The three of them briefly hugged in mid-air.

"I'm glad you're back safely," Thyra said. "Come with me, there's something I need to show you."

"This isn't going to take too long, is it?" Lilim asked.

"Don't worry, it'll just be a minute," Thyra said.

Lilith and Lilim followed Thyra down into the centre of the village. From all around, gasps and moans of unrestrained lust could be heard. The sounds riled up Lilith and Lilim's hunger – they hadn't had the chance to feed on a nice, virile man in months.

Lilith asked, "So where is this – "

A magic circle, glowing with purple light, appeared beneath the two Queen Succubi. They immediately tried to take flight, but their feet were firmly stuck to the circle. Their next move was to try casting magic, but the circle dispersed any mana that they attempted to gather. There was no time for a third move. Blades of wind shot towards them from the shadows of the buildings, tearing at their flesh and staining the ground with their blood.

""Why have you betrayed us, Thyra!?"" Lilith and Lilim demanded, while supporting each other.

"Because I had enough of the stupid rules you forced on us," Thyra said. "And I'm not the only one who feels that way."

No less than eight different succubi emerged from the shadows. Only half of them were known to Lilith and Lilim, with the rest being strangers.

"My friends and I kept our feelings hidden, since we weren't stupid enough to go against you… but then came a few visitors from Hellgondo," Thyra said, gesturing towards the strange succubi. "They opened our eyes to just how much we were missing, and showed us how we could get rid of you."

Lilith frowned. "There's no way that everyone would go along with you."

Thyra clapped her hands. Succubi emerged from the surrounding buildings. Their eyes were unfocused, their bodies were covered in sweat and their gait was unsteady. None of the humans emerged – however, now that Lilith and Lilim were paying closer attention to their surroundings, they sensed that the humans were still indoors. Furthermore, the sparks of their lives were dangerously faint. The humans weren't unwilling to come outside, they were unable to do so.

"…You brainwashed the other succubi into this," Lilith said.

"And you've started draining the humans to death," Lilim said.

"That's right. And it was surprisingly fun, breaking other succubi," Thyra said, causing the other traitors to giggle. "We teased them until they couldn't take it anymore, then showed them what they'd been missing all their lives. Once they experienced the incredible rush of _real_ sex, they couldn't go back to just taking a few sips at a time. There's a reason our ancestors did it this way."

"And the reason succubi, and all other monsters, _stopped_ doing it that way is because it's incredibly _stupid_ to kill the men you need to reproduce!" Lilith retorted.

"Are you even listening to yourself?" Lilim said. "You're literally acting like the villains from the stories."

"Stories that are only told because most monsters have forgotten what we used to be," Thyra said. "Back in the old days, we were powerful, able to fight against Ilias and her angels on equal footing. Now, we're so weak that we're stuck in a stalemate against humans."

"Or perhaps the humans have just grown stronger than in the old days, since they're no longer being treated like livestock," Lilith said.

"There's no point trying to convince them, sister, they've already given in to this nonsense," Lilim said. Turning to the traitorous succubi, she added, "You haven't left this village since this war started, so let me tell you what it's like on the front lines. We're not just in a stalemate, we're _losing_. You won't get away with this."

"Oh, you think that famous hero will come here to save you?" Thyra said mockingly. "We've prepared a nice warm welcome for him. If he decides to visit this quaint little village, then we'll find out what a hero tastes like. But it doesn't matter either way, as you won't live to see that happen. Kill them."

The traitors began casting another round of spells. In their current state, Lilith and Lilim could neither fight back nor flee. That left only one option.

Lilith withdrew a small crystal from a pocket and crushed it. Violet light consumed her and Lilim's vision. For an instant, they were able to glimpse the traitors' shocked faces.

After a few seconds, the light disappeared. They could no longer see Succubus Village or its inhabitants. There was only a uniform darkness. Relieved, Lilith and Lilim embraced each other.

"…It worked," Lilith said.

"Thank the Dark Goddess…" Lilim said.

This was a contingency that the two Queen Succubi had been keeping in reserve. Near the start of the war, they had considered the possibility of getting into a situation where they had no hope of victory. To deal with this possibility, they had studied ancient records and created a powerful seal that could be activated in an instant, to isolate themselves in a pocket of subspace where they could not be harmed. It was intended only as a last resort, as they couldn't escape the seal of their own will, but the present situation qualified.

Lilith and Lilim first applied first aid to each other, then discussed what they would do next.

"How long do you think we'll be in here?" Lilim asked.

"I don't know," Lilith admitted. "The seal is set so that only Alice or Kokka can release us, but the traitors will definitely do everything they can to hide their actions. They'll probably claim we died in combat. They shouldn't be able to fool our friends forever, but…"

"…but we don't know when our friends will figure it out," Lilim finished.

Lilith swished her tail about nervously. "We'll have to go into suspended animation, unless we want to come out of this seal as corpses."

The two succubi prepared the spells that would halt their biological functions until the seal was released. They were extremely careful in this, since they couldn't absorb any mana from the interior of the seal and were dependent on their bodies' reserves. Once they were done, they laid down on the smooth floor of the space, clasping each other's hands.

"Sister… what happens if no one ever comes to free us?" Lilim asked.

"In that case, we'll still be together, even if we're here until the end of the world," Lilith replied.

Lilim noticed the faint trembling in Lilith's hand. "What have I said about pretending you're alright when you're obviously not?"

Lilith smiled weakly. "Sorry. I promise I won't do that the next time."

The two succubi conversed with each other casually, as if they were still in the carefree days of their youth. Even as their minds dulled and their bodies slowed down, they continued up until the very last moment.


	31. Chapter 30: The Goddess' Territory

Bina beat her tail rapidly, propelling herself through the sunlit water. But while she was proud of her speed, being a mermaid and a proud soldier of the North Sea army, she still needed to exert all of her effort to keep up with her queen.

Far ahead, Leviathan sped through the water as through it offered no more resistance than air. She didn't bother slowing her pace so her army could keep up. Anyone who fell behind would be demoted, no questions asked – such was the law of the sea.

It was now mid-autumn, and the North Sea army were travelling through the South Sea to attack the Ilias continent. With the heart of humanity's faith captured, the rest would follow soon afterwards. They would have done this earlier, but they first needed to destroy the navies of the Sentora continent so they could establish supply lines. Even monsters, despite all of their physical and magical advantages over humans, were not immune to logistical problems.

Every muscle in Bina's body screamed. She had been swimming for nearly five hours without breaks. Still, she couldn't stop – she had seen what happened to those who lost Leviathan's favour.

However, the army would never even come in sight of its goal.

Bina sensed a faint disturbance in the water behind her. She turned to see that the rear part of the army had halted their advance and fallen into disarray. However, she couldn't sense anyone else present.

 _What are they doing?_ Bina thought. _Have they lost their minds?_

Bina was about to turn back and resume moving, but she noticed some of the soldiers disappear. Those around them were terrified, with some looking as if they were about to flee.

"What's all this about?" Leviathan said, having finally noticed the disturbance in her forces. She looked at the army, frowned, and shouted, "We're under attack, you fools!"

The soldiers hurriedly drew their weapons. Bina was among them, holding a large harpoon and channelling lightning magic into it. However, she still couldn't see where the enemies were, or even how many of them were present.

Over ten seconds passed, with no further action from the mysterious enemies. The North Sea army gathered in tight groups and scanned their surroundings nervously. All were elite sea monsters, the veterans of countless battles, and this was their optimal battlefield… yet none of them could even find what was attacking them.

Suddenly, there was a loud clash of metal against metal. Bina whirled around to see Leviathan using her trident to block the sword of a human, a human with a small build and purple hair.

"I expected to fight you one day," Leviathan said, bringing back her trident for a counterattack. "You shall not leave here alive!"

The hero Heinrich did not reply, simply moving to the side to avoid a barrage of icicles. He began trading blows with Leviathan, blows individually powerful enough to annihilate most monsters.

Bina grasped her harpoon tightly. Even at a distance, she was being buffeted by the waves produced by the clash of the two titans. She nevertheless waited for an opportunity to intervene.

However, Bina wasn't the only one to have such thoughts. Another mermaid, one with red hair and scales and carrying a staff, approached the battle and shot a jet of water towards Heinrich. Miraculously, the jet struck him head-on… but failed to cause any injury, failed to even knock him back slightly.

A second later, the red mermaid disappeared, being replaced by a rapidly expanding cloud of red. Bina covered her mouth to suppress the urge to vomit.

"Do not interfere!" Leviathan roared. "He's mine!"

Not wanting to meet the same grisly fate, Bina retreated to join the rest of the army. They had begun setting up barriers to stop any stray attacks.

"Who do you think will win?" asked one of the scyllas.

"If you asked me a year ago, I'd definitely bet on our esteemed leader," Bina said. "But now? I'm not so sure… I'm not sure who will win, or who I _want_ to win."

-ooo-

Heinrich combined the powers of fire and water and thrust his hands forward, creating a head-sized projectile of compressed steam. The projectile exploded on contact, but Leviathan simply shrugged it off and continued charging at him.

 _Wanting other people to stay out of your fight is one thing – even if it's foolish - but outright killing them yourself?_ Heinrich thought.

 _She thinks her power lets her do whatever she wants,_ Sylph said. _Time to prove her wrong! Kick her ass!_

Gnome said nothing, but Heinrich felt a sense of encouragement from her.

 _This is the perfect opportunity for you to demonstrate your mastery of my power,_ Undine said.

 _You're expecting him to beat a sea dragon with water?_ Salamander said. _Don't listen to her, Heinrich. As you are now, you can make flames that even burn underwater!_

Heinrich ignored the spirits' bickering and focused on the battle. He had to avoid trying to match Leviathan in strength – while he might have been able to win such a contest on land, there was no chance for him in the sea. He did have an advantage in agility – while both of them were manipulating the water around themselves, Heinrich's smaller body let him make tighter turns – and was thus able to dodge all of Leviathan's attacks. But both of them were submerged in a serene mind, and so neither of them could land proper hits on each other.

Deciding to try fighting with words as well, Heinrich asked, "So you're Leviathan, the Queen of the North Seas?"

"Indeed," Leviathan answered, while attempting to blast Heinrich with lightning. "And I will make you pay for killing Teuthis."

 _She's talking about the Queen Scylla…Do you think she'd get even angrier if I said that I killed her twice?_ Heinrich wondered.

 _Try it out,_ Salamander said. _She doesn't seem like the type to keep her fighting skills when angry. Hopefully it'll at least break her serene mind._

"Hey, do you know what happened to Teuthis' remains after I killed her?" Heinrich said lightly.

"What are you prattling on about?" Leviathan said, confused. "Her subordinates retrieved her remains and released them into the South Sea."

"Are you sure about that?" Heinrich said, darting in to land a few shallow cuts on Leviathan's massive tail. "Remember who she was working with – Aome Artiste, a necromancer, one who had no trouble using the remains of her fellow monsters."

"Even she wouldn't dare to – " Leviathan began, only to stop, no doubt remembering who was responsible for defeating Aome.

"If you don't believe me, take a look," Heinrich said.

By controlling the optical properties of the seawater, Heinrich conjured up an image showing one of his past experiences: the Queen Scylla Teuthis, her skin pale with undeath.

Leviathan grasped her trident so tightly that Heinrich expected it to snap. The flow of water around her became disordered.

"I ended up having to kill her a second time – but it was self-defence, I swear," Heinrich said, trying to sound as brazen as possible. "I disposed of her remains through fire – I didn't think to try carrying them to the sea, sorry about that – "

Leviathan opened her mouth and let out freezing breath, converting countless tonnes of seawater to ice in an instant. Heinrich was ready for this, however, so he dodged the breath and charged towards her. He raised his sword, intending to decapitate her – but she moved at the very last moment, so she merely suffered a deep gash across her cheek and eye.

"How dare you!" Leviathan roared, holding a hand to her face.

Leviathan thrust out her trident and shot lightning towards Heinrich, who dodged it easily – but he failed to stop the lightning hitting its intended target, the giant mass of ice formed from Leviathan's breath. The ice shattered into dozens of chunks, many larger than houses, which spread out as they floated towards the surface.

 _I can't use my full speed with all these obstacles in the way,_ Heinrich thought. _But I should also be able to take advantage of them._

Heinrich swam into the mess of ice until Leviathan was obscured from view. He suppressed his own presence, making the water currents flow around him as though he wasn't there, and circled around until he was behind Leviathan's position. Then he stealthily approached her and thrust his sword – but she blocked it with her arm. Before Heinrich could retreat, Leviathan coiled her massive tail around his body.

Leviathan pulled the sword out of her arm and contemptuously threw it away, allowing it to sink into the dark depths. The wound on her face was no longer bleeding, and within seconds the same was true for the wound on her arm. She began tightening her coils.

"Suffer," Leviathan hissed.

Heinrich struggled with all his might, but he might as well have tried lifting a mountain from its base. The tail constricted, squeezing air from lungs and causing ribs to crack.

"Ships incoming!"

Leviathan scowled upon hearing this warning, but nevertheless turned away from Heinrich. Despite his fading consciousness, Heinrich was able to follow her gaze.

At the surface, the hulls of over twenty ships could be seen.

"Well, what are you waiting for!" Leviathan shouted to her troops. "Destroy them!"

The North Sea army advanced, rising towards the ships – then fell into disarray as beams of white light pierced through their ranks.

Leviathan's restraint slackened for a moment, but that was all the time Heinrich needed to slip free. He quickly dived down to retrieve his sword, then returned to confront the sea dragon once more.

"How is this possible?" Leviathan said, her mouth agape. "How can humans be this powerful?"

"I don't exactly have the right to say this, but… don't underestimate what human faith can do," Heinrich said.

Leviathan shot Heinrich a withering glare. Then she turned to her army and, in a booming voice, ordered a retreat.

Once they were all gone, Heinrich healed his injuries and rose to the surface, then continued into the air. The sudden change in environment caused him to shiver and almost go off course, but he corrected himself.

Heinrich examined the ships from the air. These resembled civilian ships except in one key aspect: the large number of priests and priestesses among their crew. The distinctive, soothing aura of holy energy could be sensed from them.

After some searching, Heinrich found the largest ship in the fleet, presumably the flagship. He hovered in the air long enough for them to prepare for his arrival, then landed on the deck.

A middle-aged man in a blue coat and white trousers approached. Even though his skin was wrinkled by age, he gave off an undeniable sense of authority.

"Welcome aboard the Shield of Ilias, hero Heinrich," the man said. "I am Aramis, captain of this ship and commander of the Ilias continent's navy. I thank you for your efforts against the monsters."

"I must thank you as well, I would have been in trouble if you and your fleet hadn't intervened," Heinrich said.

"Come now, there's no need for false modesty," Aramis said with a smile.

While going through the usual formalities, Heinrich noticed something. _The fact that I gain power from monsters should be widely known by now. Yet I can't sense any discomfort or hostility from him._

 _It seems that he is simply of a more pragmatic sort,_ Undine replied. _Simple necessity dictates that all of the human leaders must be willing to at least tolerate monsters, and those who work with them._

Heinrich listened to the voices of the rest of the crew. They were talking about how he must be a chosen hero of Ilias, and perhaps even had angelic blood.

 _Though it seems that the lower ranks are not permitted this knowledge,_ Undine added.

 _Feel like trying to change that?_ Salamander asked.

 _As a matter of fact, yes,_ Heinrich replied. He continued out loud, "Captain Aramis, I have not visited the Ilias continent before. With your blessing, I would like to do so now."

"Of course!" Aramis said. Turning to his crew, he shouted, "Notify the other ships! We will return to port, escorting the hero Heinrich, the hope of humanity!"

The crew rushed about to follow this order.

 _…Just what are they calling me?_ Heinrich thought, concealing his embarrassment.

 _Hey, it's a great title!_ Sylph exclaimed. _If anything, it should be even longer. 'The hero Heinrich, hope of humanity and monsterkind, bane of angels' – Eep!_

Gnome interrupted Sylph with a punch. She still didn't say anything – and hadn't since the Battle of Sabasa – but Heinrich was glad that she seemed to be getting better.

-ooo-

For the third time in as many minutes, Kokka checked to make sure that her posture and clothing were appropriate. She didn't like having to be formal, but she accepted that it was sometimes necessary.

Now was one such occasion. Kokka, along with the rest of the Three Nobles of Black, was standing in the audience hall of the Monster Lord's Castle. Alice VIII was sitting on her throne at the back of the hall, listening to the reports and requests of her subjects.

The doors to the hall flew open with a slam. Kokka turned around to see a wolf monster, a harpy and a sea dragon; Sköll, Fenghuang, and Leviathan, the three queens who were most in favour of this war. The most prominent of the three was Leviathan, who was currently trying, and failing, to pretend that the large cut on her face didn't exist. The cut would only take a few more days to heal, but the simple act of suffering an injury in such a prominent location was undoubtedly humiliating to her.

Kokka already knew what they were here about. A week ago, Leviathan had led an attack on the Ilias continent. Had she succeeded, the war would have immediately turned in the monsters' favour… and the cost for the humans would be horrendous. Kokka and her friends had wanted to be the ones to command that attack, but the three queens still had considerable influence and, on an individual basis, were stronger than the Three Nobles. But the attack was thwarted by the hero, and news of this had travelled so fast that it had reached Hellgondo before Leviathan herself did.

The servants and lesser nobles parted to allow the three queens to approach the throne. Alice looked down at them, still keeping up her cheerful façade.

"So… I trust you're here with good news?" Alice said.

"Unfortunately… no, Your Majesty. I failed in my duty," Leviathan said, bowing her head. "While swimming to the Ilias continent, I encountered the hero Heinrich. We fought, and I nearly defeated him, but the human navy intervened. I judged that there we would not be able to defeat both the hero and the navy, so I ordered a retreat."

Alice remained silent for several seconds, presumably as a deliberate attempt to unnerve the three queens. It worked, judging from the beads of sweat on their faces.

"Counting this incident, that's three times that this hero has fought one of you and escaped, despite your claims of having the upper hand," Alice said. "What am I supposed to make of this? Should I go out and attempt to recruit this hero to my cause? Because it seems that he's a better fighter than you!"

There was snickering amongst the servants and minor nobles.

Sköll stepped forward and said, "I swear, on my mother's name, that we're telling the truth. It was only bad luck that stopped us from killing that little – "

"Do you think I've forgotten about you going against orders?" Alice said, now with clear anger in her voice. "I specifically ordered that there be no attempts to attack that meeting of kings, as they would _obviously_ have the best security available. Yet you went ahead and got everyone but yourself killed. Over twenty of our finest beasts, killed without anything to show for it."

Sköll grit her teeth, but did not dispute these words.

"Considering your recent _successes_ , perhaps I should rethink giving you three overall command over my armies," Alice said. "Perhaps I should entrust this responsibility to my Three Nobles instead?"

"That's absurd!" Fenghuang shouted, her feathers ruffled in protest. "If you're doing this because we failed to kill the hero, then the same is true of them! In fact, they outright _lost_ to the hero in Sabasa!"

"True, but their recent record is far more promising than yours," Alice said. "They were able to defeat the rebels of Plansect Village – no small feat, considering the numbers involved."

Kokka recalled the mission that Alice had brought up. It was a gruelling ordeal, three solid weeks of scouring dense forest for plants and insects who knew all the ways to hide in this environment. And on top of the physical difficulty was the emotional difficulty of fighting fellow monsters, some of which Kokka personally knew. She understood why they had chosen to defy the Monster Lord – if she didn't know that Alice was putting on an act, she would have started having doubts about serving the unpredictable and terrifying Black Alice.

"In contrast to that, what have you done lately, Fenghuang?" Alice asked. "After your failed attempt to capture Grand Noah, you went around raiding the villages and smaller towns, which I would hardly call impressive. Then, if I remember correctly, you went back to your race's nests in the mountains and didn't do anything further."

"I had a reason for that, I needed to return to protect our hatchlings from attempted attacks by the humans," Fenghuang said.

"You claim that humans were a threat?" Alice said. "Your nests are in mountains too steep for humans to invade, and Grangold isn't exactly known for having monsters in its army. The only ones you could be defending against are fellow monsters, but how could that be? There aren't any of the fools who've chosen to defy me in your area, so why would any other monsters want to attack your nests?"

Fenghuang averted her eyes, while Kokka recalled the unsavoury rumours surrounding the Queen Harpy. She was known publically for going to any lengths to keep her race safe and prosperous – and, some claimed, this meant doing so even at the expense of other monsters. In the past few decades, there were stories of harpies in the Noah region raiding other monsters for food and mates. There was never any solid evidence, but these reasons were why Alice VII had not trusted Fenghuang during her own reign.

"And it wasn't just the hero who stopped you three," Alice continued. "Humanity as a whole, along with those monsters who've sided with them, has shown themselves to be far stronger than expected. Yet when I made the decision to start this war, you gave me the impression that they were weak and would soon fall – "

Leviathan turned and stormed out of the room, ignoring her fellow queens' calls for her to stop.

"Let her go," Alice commanded. "She must have accumulated a lot of frustration, it would be best for her to let it all out. In fact… why don't we all take a break for now?"

The court session ended and the room began to empty. Kokka looked at Alice, who had stood up from her throne and was now heading towards the kitchens, then grasped the hands of her fellow Three Nobles.

 _She's hiding her true feelings, isn't she?_ Kokka said telepathically.

 _Yeah, ever since we received word of Lilith and Lilim's deaths, she's been acting just a little more cheerful than before,_ Kokuja replied. _Not enough to make most people suspicious, but she's definitely hiding her grief._

 _And adding to that, this is the third time that Heinrich has nearly been killed by one of the queens,_ Kurobara said. _Knowing about the danger he keeps throwing himself into, yet unable to communicate with him… I can't imagine what that feels like._

 _We'd better go talk to her,_ Kokka said.

The three of them left the audience hall. As they stepped out the door, Kokka shot one last glance towards the now-empty throne.

When she was still a young child, Kokka had thought the title of Monster Lord was an incredible privilege. But now, after seeing the constant battles within the royal court, where words were weapons and emotions were no more than liabilities, she understood that it was a burden that no one should have to bear.

-ooo-

Leviathan moved quickly through the corridors of her castle, everyone in her path fearfully making room for her. She eventually stopped in an empty room, closed the doors of the room, and leaned against a wall.

 _Calm down… take deep breaths,_ Leviathan told herself. _I can't give in to anger now. We've devoted too much effort to this plan to let it fail._

Today's events had drawn out one of Leviathan's personal flaws, one that even she recognised: her anger. Anger had led her to suddenly break off a meeting with the Monster Lord, disgracing herself and her allies in front of an audience of dozens. Anger had allowed the hero to almost kill her, with pure chance being the reason she was still alive. Leviathan had learned techniques to control her anger, she couldn't have become Queen of the North Seas otherwise… but every now and then something happened that caused her to lose control.

 _Damn her… we got rid of her mother because we thought she would be incompetent and easily controlled, but with her as Monster Lord we've met setback after setback. And simply being around her is infuriating, every word she says gets on my nerves – hm?_

Leviathan opened and closed her hands, thinking.

 _She acts as childish as in her youth, but is accepting of our actions… but what if that's an act? What if she only pretends to agree with us, while secretly doing everything she can to sabotage us? That would explain why we've lost battles that should have been easy victories, why we haven't taken as many captives as we should have. And it fits with what I remember of her previous attitude towards humans. If this is true, then…_

 _…no, it can't be true. I've personally seen her "playtime", the screams she elicits are genuine. She's gone through three men in the past month alone. And even if this was an act, she couldn't do anything significant to impede our plan. She can't use telepathy to contact anyone from a distance, she's estranged from her sister and most of the humans in the castle hate her… the most she would be able to do is give subpar orders._

Leviathan thought back on the orders Alice VIII had given throughout the war. Virtually all of them were decent – there were some bad decisions, but any leader would make mistakes no matter their level of competence. Even her decision to forbid any assault on the meeting of kings had been sound, considering how Sköll's attempt had turned out.

 _No… I'm seeing things, imagining patterns where there are none. Logically, Alipheese the Eighth cannot be an enemy. She must have simply hidden her true nature during her youth, only revealing herself once she gained power… yes, that makes sense. There's no way that she can be sabotaging our efforts, that would require her to somehow predict the hero's movements, or something equally impossible._

Having settled the matter, Leviathan decided to sate her hunger and so called for a servant. A nervous-looking scylla entered the room.

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty, what would you like?" the scylla asked.

"Bring me lunch, any type of large seafood," Leviathan said. "Shark, seal, I care not so long as it's of suitable size."

"Actually, Your Majesty, I-I'm afraid that we don't have any large seafood dishes available," the scylla replied, trembling from the top of her head to the tips of her tentacles. "Lately, our catches have been quite limited, and – "

"Then what _is_ available?" Leviathan demanded.

"In that case, um – we have plenty of smaller varieties of fish, as well as jellyfish – "

"Are you suggesting that I consume bait food?" Leviathan said.

"M-My apologies, I'll go and find what you requested!" the scylla said frantically, before rushing out of the room.

Leviathan sighed. Finding good servants these days seemed to be impossible, even in the North Sea Temple. They kept coming up with excuses to cover up their laziness, like claiming that the fish stocks had been overexploited. But Leviathan knew that this was impossible, there was no way for the vast ocean to run out of resources.

-ooo-

Heinrich flew southward, passing over open fields and dense forests.

The past week had been extremely busy, a constant stream of visits to the towns and cities of the Ilias continent. And while it was much smaller than Sentora, the Ilias continent was still more than large enough to get lost in.

On the north coast was Iliasport, where the navy docked and Heinrich disembarked. Since a telepathic message had been sent ahead, thousands of people gathered in the port town in order to greet the world-famous hero. While Heinrich had some experience dealing with this sort of situation, the people here seemed even more… energetic than the crowds he'd faced in San Ilia and Sabasa. In addition to that, the crowds here were composed entirely of humans, something that discomforted him.

After that, Heinrich visited each of the other settlements. In the centre of the continent was Iliasburg, the capital. Towards the east were Happiness Village, famous for the delicious honey produced by its hives, and Rostrum, famous for being the birthplace of multiple master chefs. Towards the west, beyond the Irina Mountains, were only ruins – the remains of a village that had been ransacked by monsters, and a large abandoned castle. Towards the south was Iliasville, a small village that was nevertheless significant because of what it contained: Ilias Temple. This was Heinrich's current destination.

After half an hour of flying, the temple came into view. While not as large as San Ilia Castle, it was just as magnificent. The temple itself was two stories tall, built from stone that showed the wear and tear of many centuries. The front wall was decorated with green banners, each depicting an angel, while the front door was situated between two large marble statues of Ilias. In front of the temple was a large courtyard containing rows of free-standing columns and more statues of Ilias.

Heinrich landed at the entrance to the courtyard. Here, like everywhere else, there were numerous people waiting for him. In fact, it seemed as if the entire population of Iliasville had gathered here. Heinrich slowly pushed his way through the crowd, doing his best to deal with the constant barrage of voices.

"Marry me, hero!"

"You have to name my child!"

"When are you going to slay the Monster Lord?"

For various reasons, Heinrich tried to avoid replying to the crowd. He persevered until he saw priests and temple knights approaching.

"Thank you for gracing this temple with your presence, hero Heinrich," one of the priests said. "The Head Priestess is ready to see you."

The crowd mostly dispersed, though some of the braver individuals persisted in trying to catch Heinrich's attention. Heinrich had to raise his voice and announce that he was going to go around the village afterwards, but right now he had a meeting with the Head Priestess. Once there were no more interruptions, he followed the priests and knights into the temple.

After passing through a large hallway, they arrived at the central room of the temple. This was large enough for a flock of harpies to fly inside it with room to spare, and well-lit by numerous stained-glass windows. At the back of the room was a dais, and on this stood an elderly woman dressed in white robes.

"Welcome to the Ilias Temple, hero Heinrich," the Head Priestess said. "I am Head Priestess Justinia."

"Thank you for receiving me," Heinrich said. "The Ilias Temple is even more impressive than I was expecting."

The two of them traded pleasantries. Internally, Heinrich felt a growing impatience. Ever since his arrival in the Ilias continent, he had been trying to talk to the people and make them understand what monsters were truly like. But nobody gave him the opportunity – they only wanted to hear about his exploits as a hero, how many monsters he had slain, his plans for defeating the Monster Lord.

 _If I had come here earlier, back when the war had just started, I might have been able to do something about these kinds of attitudes,_ Heinrich thought. _Or if I had come even earlier with – no. There's no point dwelling on the past. I have to focus on the present. And now is an excellent opportunity, even if it's risky._

Then Heinrich heard the words that shook him out of his thoughts: "As a reward for your valiant efforts, we have decided to grant you a surname and a title. You are now Heinrich Hein, Champion of Humanity. With this, you have a status equal to the highest of nobles."

"…That is an honour I do not deserve," Heinrich replied. "But that is your wish, then I will accept it."

 _Is having a surname really that important?_ Sylph wondered. _Heinrich's been doing just fine without one._

 _It serves the purpose of signifying one's ancestry, which in turn is one of the aspects of power,_ Undine explained. _Note that among both humans and monsters, the powerful families use surnames._

 _And while family's obviously important for monsters, it's also important for humans,_ Salamander said. _Not only do they pass property down to their descendants, they also seem to pass down other things as well. Ever notice how the royal families have a lot more magic than the rest?_

" – and we entrust all of our hope to you," Justinia said. "May you defeat the Monster Lord, and bring peace to this battered world."

"I will do everything in my power to live up to your expectations," Heinrich said. "However, I would like to ask one question. What do you believe should be done about the monsters after the war is over?"

There was murmuring among the surrounding clergy – from what Heinrich sensed, they were mainly confused about why he would need to ask such a question.

"That is quite a complex issue," Justinia said, her expression and tone neutral. "I believe it would be best to talk about it in a more comfortable setting. Why don't you join me in my parlour?"

"I will, thank you for the offer," Heinrich said.

Justinia turned and walked away, with slow but careful steps. Heinrich followed her.

They came to a small room, with a table and chairs in the centre and several bookshelves along the walls, and sat down in the chairs. A servant came in to deposit a teapot and cups on the table, but after that the two of them were alone. Justinia poured two cups of tea and handed one to Heinrich.

"Well, now that there is no one else to interrupt us… what do you truly want to know?" Justinia asked, her blue eyes looking keenly at Heinrich.

"My question is the same as before: What do you believe should be done about the monsters after the war is over?" Heinrich said. "There are countless monsters on Sentora who are fighting alongside the humans, and not too long ago there were many here as well. Most of the people I've met here believe that all monsters should be 'driven back into the pits of hell from where they came'. But as a leader, you should know that this course of action isn't practical… or ethical."

Justinia remained silent for a while, simply sipping at her tea. She looked as if she hadn't heard Heinrich's words at all. Then she stood up, went over to a bookshelf and retrieved a book. She opened the book and looked up at Heinrich.

"How much do you know about the history of the world, over five hundred years ago?" Justinia asked. "The time of the Great Monster Wars, and the period before even that."

"Quite a lot in fact," Heinrich replied. "I know about the existence of the Six Ancestors, for example."

"That makes things simpler," Justinia said. She lowered her gaze to the book and began reading, "Minagi, the ancestor of succubi, the Great Whore of Babylon, was insatiable and indiscriminate in her appetite for men. She consumed more than a dozen a day to sustain her eternal youth and beauty. She even devised a spell that allowed her to enthral an entire city at once. For her depravity, she became the monster most loathed by the Goddess."

Heinrich decided to remain silent for now. Justinia turned the page and kept reading.

"Hiruko, the ancestor of scyllas, was the unstoppable terror of the seas. She would sink ships and drag sailors down to her watery abode. She did this out of unrestrained curiosity, like that of a child, but this did not diminish the suffering she brought to her victims.

"Kanade, the ancestor of slimes, was a glutton without equal. She treated humans as no more than livestock, confining them so that she might have all of their essence to herself. Unlike her sisters, she made efforts to avoid killing her victims, but this simply prolonged their suffering.

"Kanon, the ancestor of alraunes, was the most cruel of the six by far. Her methods were more personal than those of her sisters: she would seek out particular victims, identify their greatest weaknesses, and use these to force them to undergo the worst of indignities. Then, once she had broken down their will, she devoured them.

"Saja, the ancestor of harpies and reptilians, held a twisted lust towards human men. She fixated on one, whom she considered her 'husband', and clung to him no matter his objections. If others objected, even if they were the family of her so-called husband, she would kill them without remorse. When the man invariably died, she abandoned all memory of him and moved on to her next victim."

Justinia closed the book. "Records on the sixth ancestor are scarce. We know that she was ancestor to beasts and that she brought about the downfall of several nations, but her name and appearance have become lost to history. But I believe my point is clear enough."

"I do as well," Heinrich said. "Monsters in the past have committed atrocities beyond number, that's true. But in my travels across the world, I've seen humans aren't any less capable of evil. And the past in general was a more brutal and vicious time. Wasn't there a past king of Sabasa, around three hundred years ago, who attempted to conquer the rest of Sentora?"

"Yes, the Tyrant of the Bloody Sands," Justinia said. She paused for a moment. "Tell me, Heinrich, how much have you heard about my personal history?"

"Not a lot," Heinrich admitted. "I've heard about how you established several churches and, more recently, how you've been caring for refugees from the war."

"My subordinates have only been telling you the most flattering stories," Justinia said, closing her eyes. "Many years ago, I lived in a small village to the east of here. It was a hard but peaceful life, and I didn't desire anything more… but one day, a group of slimes attacked. In hindsight, they were relatively weak by monster standards – something true of most monsters on this continent – but to farmers with no training or proper weaponry, they were utterly unstoppable. It was three days before we were found and rescued. By the end of those three days, the slimes hadn't killed any of us – but over twenty people later took their own lives. Among them were my parents."

Heinrich remained silent.

"I was taken to this temple, along with some of the others who'd been orphaned by the attack," Justinia continued. "I decided to repay those who cared for me, one thing led to another, and I found myself in the position of Head Priestess. However, even now… I cannot forget what happened. I know, rationally, that only a small minority of monsters perform such actions, and I tolerate the monsters who coexist with humans on Sentora, but I simply cannot trust them. What do you say to that?"

Heinrich considered his words carefully before responding, "I won't say I understand exactly how you feel, but I've seen several incidents like that, and the aftermath of many more, even before this war began. I'm sorry for what you've suffered… but I can't let one person's wishes decide what I do."

Justinia leaned back in her chair. "Oh? So you believe that, as a hero, you should be above such concerns?"

"I never asked to be called a 'hero', and I'd appreciate if you don't twist what I'm trying to say," Heinrich grumbled. "The point is, with the power I have, I have to be careful in how I use it. As a leader, you should understand that."

"A good point," Justinia conceded. "How, then, do you plan on using said power to end this war?"

"For now, by continuing what I've already been doing – fighting off attacks by the Monster Lord's forces and crushing their bases, all while causing as few casualties as possible to make them question their reasons for fighting," Heinrich said. "Then, once I've mastered the full power of the Four Spirits, I'll go to Hellgondo, find out the reasons for this war starting in the first place, then do whatever it takes to bring it to an end. Now, how long are you going to test me?"

Justinia's shoulders shook with laughter. "Was I really that easy to see through?"

"No, it's just that I've already gone through tests like these many times," Heinrich said, sighing.

"Well, I can tell you that you've passed this test – you truly live up to your reputation, Heinrich," Justinia said. "Should you succeed in ending this war, I will do all I can to mend the rifts that have formed between humans and monsters."

Heinrich lowered his head. "Thank you for taking the time to listen to me. And I'm sorry for making you relive your past."

"You need not apologise, it was my own choice to do so," Justinia replied.

Heinrich relaxed, having finally succeeded in his objective. He lifted the teacup to his mouth and took a long drink.

"…There's one more thing I'd like to know about, if you don't mind," Heinrich said. "You don't seem to have made up any part of your story. In that case, why are you able to make a decision like this? Why can you accept coexistence with monsters, despite what some of them did to you?"

"I don't mind answering that," Justinia said. "It's really quite simple. While I was growing up in the temple, I was fortunate enough to have good teachers who taught me how complex the world can be, how an entire race could not be judged by the actions of a few."

With that, the meeting came to an end. Heinrich thanked Justinia once more and left the room. He walked towards the exit of the temple, thinking about what he'd just learned.

* * *

 _AN: Weirdly enough, the last paragraph of Leviathan's segment was what took me the most time to write._

 _The purpose of this was to show how it's not just humans that can do damage to the environment – monsters are just as flawed and can make the same mistakes. And when personal strength is the main criterion for becoming a leader, you don't necessarily need to care for your subjects and understand their needs._

 _Also, just to make things clear, the men being killed in Alice's playtime are going through the same ruse as in Chapter 25, where she kills them instantly and uses necromancy to make their corpse scream. It's a good thing that Aome Artiste never came to the Monster Lord's Castle, as she would have easily seen through this._


	32. Chapter 31: Reunion

_AN: I decided to revise my earlier chapters in two ways._

 _First, I've edited the titles of some of the chapters (specifically: 4, 5, 11 12, 15, 16) so that they're more descriptive of the events in these chapters, rather than simply being the names of locations._

 _Second, after thinking about it, I realised that Heinrich would have trouble carrying his armour around – even if he's strong enough to do so, armour is very bulky, and armour isn't comfortable enough to wear on an everyday basis. I therefore went back and added to Chapter 22 a mention of Mary/Alice giving him her size-changing cabinet, to explain this._

* * *

Alice looked out over the North Sea. Winter had arrived, bringing with it cold winds that would have made even a lesser monster shiver. In the distance, she saw icebergs floating amongst the waves. She spent several minutes watching the sea and thinking.

 _I can't put this off any longer. I should have done this as soon as I declared war, or even before that. There were dozens of opportunities. I could have gone out personally with the first set of attacks, and slipped away to…_

 _…but everything sounds obvious in hindsight. And it would have been troublesome to sneak away when I only just became Monster Lord._

Alice lowered her gaze. In her hands were a staff and a bag containing certain items of clothing.

 _I shouldn't do this. I can still go back, I can make up an excuse. I'll have to burn these before I return to the castle – anyway, there's no benefit to…_

 _No._

A series of images passed through Alice's mind: training alongside him in Yamatai to make up for their respective weaknesses; weeks of effort to stop the plague in San Ilia; mutual confessions while watching a moonlit sea; the battle against an ancient Sandworm Girl; their first time together as lovers; the hasty escape from an erupting volcano; and, finally, the moment they parted.

 _No. I'm done running away._

Alice ran to the edge of Hellgondo and leaped into the air, spreading her wings. She flew southwards, maintaining a low altitude to avoid being detected.

 _I'm going to meet him again and to hell with the consequences! If Ilias herself were to get in my way, I'll rip off her head and keep going!_

-ooo-

In an empty plain of the Gold region, Heinrich was practicing with the power of the spirits. But this wasn't the practice of previous years, where he aimed to master the power of individual spirits. This was something that no one had ever achieved before: combining over two elements.

Heinrich began by concentrating the wind into his right arm, causing it, and the sword it held, to feel almost weightless. Since Sylph was the very first spirit he'd contracted, this was as easy as blinking or breathing.

Next was earth. The solid power of the earth reinforced Heinrich's right arm. While earth and wind were opposite elements, years of practice meant that this, too, was easy for Heinrich.

Then came water. Heinrich began to have difficulty at this point. Water weighed down the wind and softened the earth, and while Heinrich could have easily dealt with either of these problems on their own, handling both was a challenge. But he eventually succeeded, drawing the power of water into his arm.

The final element was fire. This was an even greater challenge, as fire and water were even greater opposites than earth and wind, as shown by Salamander's and Undine's rivalry. Combining the two of them _while_ also combining them with two other elements was considered impossible. But after an entire minute of constant effort, Heinrich succeeded.

Heinrich couldn't hold on to the power – his arm was shaking fiercely from the strain of holding four elements. He swung his arm, unleashing a colossal blade-shaped mass of energy from his sword, a mass that shined in all the colours of the rainbow. The mass flew towards a nearby hill and exploded.

When the dust cleared, there was no longer a hill, only a large patch of scorched earth.

However, Heinrich didn't have the leisure of basking in his achievement. Every fibre of his arm was screaming in agony. A quick examination revealed torn muscles, broken bones and an almost dislocated elbow joint. He immediately set about healing the injuries using the power of water.

The four spirits appeared.

"That – was – awesome!" Sylph said. "With our powers combined, you can beat anyone!"

Gnome said nothing, though Heinrich sensed a mixture of approval and worry from her.

"If you plan on using this technique in battle, you will need to improve your control," Undine said. "It will be of little of use if you ruin your arm performing it."

"You'll also have to practice until you can charge it up quickly," Salamander added. "No enemy worth using this on will let you stand still for a minute."

Heinrich took in the advice of the spirits and thought of ways to improve his new technique. He also thought of something else.

"Say, should we think of a name for this technique?" Heinrich wondered.

"Yeah, definitely!" Sylph said. "And it needs to be something amazing, something that nobody can ever forget! Something like 'Assault of the Four Elements' – no, that's too long – oh! How about 'World-Cutting Slash' – "

Gnome interrupted Sylph with a punch.

"Names are usually used only by those trying to seem more important than they are," Undine said. "However… my suggestion would be 'Annihilator Wave', as this technique is as unstoppable and destructive as the greatest of tidal waves."

"Yeah, and tidal waves are known for glowing and leaving scorch marks," Salamander said disparagingly. "Heinrich, here's a good name: 'Ultimate Inferno'!"

The spirits broke out into an argument. Even Gnome joined in, by having Sylph interpret her silences. Apparently, Gnome's idea of a good name was 'The Grand Smasher'.

Eventually, Sylph said, "Hey, listen to this! Why don't we have a name that's related to stars!?"

"Huh? Why?" Salamander asked.

"Because this technique makes an attack that shines brightly, like a star," Sylph explained. "And there's lots of things that are named after stars, aren't there?"

"That… is actually a good idea, Sylph," Undine said. "Now, as for what star to name it after – "

There was more bickering among the spirits. This time, Heinrich was the one who put a stop to it.

"How about 'Spica'?" Heinrich suggested. "It's one of the brightest stars in the night sky, fitting the appearance of this technique, and – and the name suggests 'spike', as in 'a sudden spike in power'."

The spirits accepted this suggestion, but then they began arguing about what should be added to "Spica" to create the full name. Sylph proposed "Spica Gale", Gnome proposed "Pulverising Spica", Undine proposed "Hydro Spica" and Salamander proposed "Burning Spica".

Before the argument could escalate into a fight, Heinrich said, "Okay, so this technique uses all four of the elements, so how about we keep things simple and use a name that reflects all four? What do you think of 'Element Spica'?"

This suggestion received unanimous approval from the spirits. And so Element Spica, the first four-element technique in the world, was created.

They decided to stop for lunch. This consisted of various hibernating animals, which Heinrich found easily with his magical senses. Heinrich set down the size-changing cabinet and retrieved cooking equipment from it. As the rats and snakes sizzled over a campfire, Heinrich relaxed and thought back on recent events.

The past few months had seen the war turn in humanity's favour. Heinrich had visited no less than ten monster bases, either alone or accompanied by an army, and destroyed them. Of these, the most notable was the assault on the harpy nests in the mountains of the south Noah region, which resulted in his second battle with Fenghuang, the Queen Harpy. She had been a fearsome opponent, but Heinrich was able to withdraw after destroying the harpies' weapons, magical tools and other supplies necessary for war. They would still be able to survive the winter, but they wouldn't be able to launch any more attacks for several months.

And speaking of logistics, Heinrich had met Akame again and learned about how she was helping human agriculture. By educating farmers on how to better deal with insect pests of their crops, she was able to significantly increase yields. Far fewer people would starve now compared to the previous winter. This was one of the things that allowed Heinrich to keep going.

However, even if the situation was looking better for the humans, that didn't mean that victory was within sight. Hellgondo, the monster stronghold, remained unassailed. The geographical barriers and inhospitable environment made it impractical for any army to invade – and that wasn't even getting into the powerful monsters that called it home.

Heinrich would need to invade Hellgondo by himself. During the past few months, he'd sought aid from both Sphinx and Tamamo, but they had both elected to remain neutral in this war. Tamamo had also warned him to avoid trying to awaken any of the ancient monsters that could be found in the hidden corners of the world, since they would only worsen the situation. Heinrich had agreed with this warning, remembering his brief encounter with the Lilith Sisters.

And for this reason, Heinrich needed to become as strong as possible. If he failed… the war would probably end when both sides grew weary of fighting, but the casualties would be tremendous.

Heinrich looked down at his meteoric sword. _This has gone through countless battles, even being used against dragon scales, and that's not counting what it went through before I found it, but still it looks good as new. Could I try channelling the power of the spirits through this, instead of my body? That way I wouldn't suffer any recoil, and could potentially produce even more power… though it's also more difficult to control elemental power outside of my body, so I'd need more practice._

Picking up his sword, Heinrich began channelling elemental power into it. As expected, he wasn't able to imbue it with all four elements at once. Whenever he tried adding a third element, it disrupted the balance between the two existing elements, causing all of the power to escape.

 _Still not enough – but I have to keep trying. If I can get this to work, the result would be something that no monster could possibly survive. I need this kind of power if I want to win._

Heinrich continued his practice until lunch was ready. He didn't get the chance to eat, however, as he sensed a person approaching.

The newcomer wore a long green dress, a black pointed hat, orange gloves and an orange cape. They were carrying a long wooden staff tipped with a blue crystal. It was the attire of a human black mage… or a monster disguised as one.

Heinrich snatched up his sword, and the spirits returned to him. With the speed of the wind, Heinrich dashed forward and thrust his sword, stopping it just in front of the newcomer's neck.

"What the hell are you doing here!?" Heinrich shouted, his body shaking with fury.

"I'm here to see you," said Mary – no, Alipheese Fateburn VIII, the current Monster Lord.

Heinrich gripped his sword so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His thoughts raced.

 _This is bad, my arm's still not fully healed. And she was already unbelievably powerful two years ago, and she must be even stronger now. I can't hold back now – I have to take this chance!_

Ignoring the voices in his head, Heinrich tried pushing his sword forward. The tip pressed against Alice's throat, but didn't go any further.

Alice didn't make any attempt to fight back, didn't even pull away. She looked at Heinrich, sorrow clear in her eyes, and said, "Please… listen to me."

 _I mustn't listen to her – she has to be trying to trick me –_ Heinrich thought, gritting his teeth.

 _W-Wait, you have to stop!_ Sylph interjected. _If she's here, she has to have a reason!_

Gnome was silent, but Heinrich sensed feelings of conflict from her.

 _While the situation is suspicious, it is also true that you should hold back for now_ , Undine said. _She would not have come here, alone and not trying to hide her presence, without good reason._

 _Though you still shouldn't let your guard down, just in case,_ Salamander said.

Heinrich hesitated for a few moments. Then he lowered his sword.

-ooo-

They gathered around the campfire, the spirits having materialised again. Alice didn't accept any of the food – something that, in more peaceful times, would have Heinrich joking about if she had been replaced by an imposter. Now, he was only interested in one thing.

"So why are you here?" Heinrich asked harshly. "And don't say it's to meet me, you haven't bothered to do that for two years."

Alice flinched slightly, but replied, "That actually is why I'm here – but I'd better start from the beginning."

"Yeah, what happened after you left?" Sylph asked.

Alice averted her eyes. She looked into the campfire as she gave her explanation.

"When I arrived, it turned out that situation was worse than we originally thought. I met my sister, Dinah, who acted aggressive towards me. We went off on our own and she explained why: the ones responsible for assassinating my mother had also set up spells to eavesdrop on any telepathy that isn't done through direct contact. That's why I haven't been able to contact you until now."

"That's convenient for you," Heinrich commented sarcastically. "I've been wondering what the hell was going on, and you just show up, say a few words and think that it makes up for everything!?"

"Heinrich," Undine said. "As far as I can tell, she is not lying. And it is plausible that the countermeasure she describes would be implemented after the assassination of a Monster Lord."

"Anyway, keep going," Salamander said to Alice. "We need to hear the whole thing first before we decide anything."

"Right," Alice said, though she seemed hesitant. "After that, my sister and I decided to pretend to be enemies, in order to fool our actual enemies in the castle. I pretended to side with the faction who assassinated my mother, while Dinah openly chose the opposite faction, but we continued to exchange information. Then there was my mother's funeral and – and then, to become Monster Lord, I fought against Rhea Nereneid, Thalia's younger sister. You've… probably heard about that."

Heinrich simply nodded, his stony expression unchanged.

"I see… how should I explain this…" Alice muttered. "Since you've been fighting monsters for a while, you should know how, among those who follow the old traditions, there's a belief that leadership requires not only strength, but also cruelty. Not even necessary cruelty – they look up to those who are cruel simply for the sake of it. Because of that, I decided to – to incorporate that into my act as well."

"…Okay, let's pretend for a second that I believe that," Heinrich said. He stood up. "Why would you ever think of declaring war on humanity?"

Alice lowered her head. Heinrich was about to press her further, only for Gnome to grab his arm. Surprised, he looked down at the small spirit.

"Why?" Heinrich whispered.

Gnome said nothing, simply looking up at him with her green eyes.

 _…She also knew Alice personally, like Sylph, so – but her home was destroyed by Alice's forces,_ Heinrich thought. _Why would she try to hold me back?_

Then Heinrich remembered Head Priestess Justinia. He sat back down.

"…I believe I know the reason, or at least one of the reasons, for your decision," Undine said to Alice. "Even before the war started, there were growing tensions between monsters and humans, correct?"

"Yeah, that's right," Alice said, shooting a furtive glance at Heinrich. "There was trouble all over the world. With my mother supposedly being assassinated by humans, many monsters wanted revenge. On the human side, I'm not entirely sure, but the Church of Ilias also started becoming more aggressive, especially the members on the Ilias continent. I figured that since war would happen sooner or later, I would have more control – at least over my own side – if I made the first move."

Alice made a smile, one that even Heinrich could tell was forced. "Lot of good that did, huh?"

For the next minute, there was silence. The fire began to die down, so Gnome left briefly to get more wood to add to it. Then Alice continued her explanation.

She had been working with her sister to discreetly undermine her enemies at every turn. She predicted Heinrich's actions and devised strategies that took this into consideration, passed this information this to Dinah, who then relayed this through her network of agents until it reached the humans. Heinrich again thought that this was a convenient story… yet it was also plausible, as the human cities had seemed oddly well-prepared to resist the attacks, and his own battles had generally been easier and more damaging to the monster side than expected from random chance.

She had also been helping Dinah maintain her influence within the royal court. Publically, she did this by making it clear that, even if they were seemingly enemies, she had no desire to see her sister dead. Privately, she warned Dinah about the constant attempts by their enemies to find and discreetly kill off her supporters. Though of course, Heinrich had no way to verify these claims.

Then there were the occasions where Alice took to the battlefield herself. During these occasions, she treated the enemy differently depending on the nature of the troops following her: if they were of the moderate faction, she captured the enemy alive, but if they were of the monster supremacist faction, she killed them all to prevent them being captured. Considering the horrors that Heinrich had seen, such as during his raid on Succubus Village a few weeks ago, he understood why she did this… though that wasn't the same as liking it.

Eventually, Heinrich said, "Alright, so you have excuses for most things… but there's one thing you haven't mentioned. What about the stories they tell about you? They say that you – you choose a captive each week and make him scream so loudly, even your own followers are unsettled!"

Alice pulled her hat down, concealing her face.

Heinrich had listened enough. He drew his sword, shouting, "So you're not even trying to come up with an excuse, now!? You – "

The Four Spirits quickly restrained Heinrich.

"Calm down, give her a chance to – " Undine said.

"She's had enough chances!" Heinrich retorted, though he didn't attempt to break free. "Everyone wants me to kill the Monster Lord and end this war! Now's the perfect chance!"

"Wait, there has to be – I've figured it out!" Sylph said. "It's that neco – necromancy thing, the one you saw back in Safina, the zombie that didn't look like a zombie! You used that to fake it all, right? Right?"

Alice raised her head, shock clear in her features.

 _No – it's just an act, she even admitted to being a good actor in her excuses,_ Heinrich thought. _She has to be acting – she has to be –_

"This response – Sylph's deduction is correct," Undine said. She turned to the wind spirit. "What was this necromancy technique? Tell me more."

"I don't really remember that much, but I remember that she took the necromancer's books with her!" Sylph said. "They should still be in here!"

Sylph zoomed over to the cabinet and recklessly threw out its contents. She eventually found several books and brought them over. Undine extruded numerous tentacles from her slimy body and used these to flick through the pages.

"Found it," Undine announced. "This is truly an advanced technique, only a master of necromancy would be able to see through this ruse."

"Magic's come a long way in the past couple of centuries," Salamander said, looking at the book over Undine's shoulder. She turned to Alice. "So I'm guessing you killed these guys immediately, then controlled their corpses to make them scream?"

"…Yes, that's right," Alice said, in a voice almost too small to be heard.

Heinrich looked at Alice, who refused to meet his eyes. She had to be hiding something –

– then he remembered that night in the Noah region, when she had killed the insect monsters and human bandits, then broken down afterwards. She gave off the same atmosphere as back then.

Slowly, unsteadily, Heinrich lowered his sword. He exhaled.

"Okay. So… so you did everything because there was no other option, I get that now," Heinrich said. "So why have you come here?"

"Heinrich!" Sylph said, scandalised. "Can't she just want to see you again?"

"That's not what I meant," Heinrich said. "Alice, you've gone to great lengths to keep your actions and intentions a secret. Why risk being discovered now? By going off alone like this, anyone would wonder what you're up to."

"I've planned for that, I've told my subordinates that I'm staying in my room and should not be disturbed, though I'll need to hurry back soon before they get suspicious," Alice said. "Anyway, I'm here because I need your help in bringing this war to an end. I want to show you how to get to Hellgondo safely and what to do there."

Heinrich was taken aback by these words. The spirits began debating what to do, with Sylph and Gnome in favour of the proposal, while Undine and Salamander remained sceptical.

Alice swallowed, then continued, "Before you decide, let me tell you everything. First, there's how to get to Hellgondo. The sea, the sky and the undersea cave are all obviously guarded, but there are gaps in the security – Hellgondo's a big place, after all – and I used one of these gaps to sneak out. Due to the patterns of the wind and the sea currents, there are places with minimal guards, you'll be able to get through these as long as you fly just above the sea's surface."

Alice gave a detailed description of where these gaps were located and the times of day when they should be used. Heinrich memorised this information.

"Then there's what you need to do once you arrive," Alice said. "My suggestion is that you remain hidden and travel to Remina. Since you've had Undine for over a year, you should have mastered water to the point of being able to disguise yourself, right?"

"That's right," Heinrich said, demonstrating this by briefly changing his purple hair to a less distinctive shade of brown, one of the applications of water magic.

"Good. Now, Remina is an ideal place for you to reveal yourself," Alice said. "Recently, it's been where many of the monster supremacists have been taking out their frustrations over the way the war is going. There's a limit to how much I can do to stop them."

"But there's nothing limiting what I can do," Heinrich said. "And news of the hero managing to enter Hellgondo will demoralise that group, while emboldening those who wish for peace."

Alice nodded. "After that, make your way to my castle. While your appearance would make many people change their minds, there are hardliners who won't stop fighting until their last breath. The most important of these are three monster queens, who you should be familiar with: Sköll, Fenghuang, and Leviathan."

"The Queen Beast, Queen Harpy, and Queen of the North Seas," Heinrich said. "Yeah, you could say I'm familiar with them."

"These three are currently in the castle, and won't be leaving soon," Alice said. "Once you arrive, I'll get them to come out so you can fight them. Kill them or capture them, I leave the decision up to you. It looks like you've already become strong enough for that," Alice looked knowingly towards the scorched earth left by Element Spica, "but first, try provoking them…"

Alice told Heinrich about the three queens' personalities, histories and likely weaknesses.

"If this works, it should decrease support for the war even further," Alice continued. "Even if it doesn't, the loss of their three leaders will definitely demoralise those in favour of war. I should then be able to order an end to the fighting."

"That makes sense… but what do you plan on doing after that?" Heinrich asked. "You'll still be the one who declared war on humanity."

"I'll accept the punishment, whatever that might be," Alice said. "Considering historical cases, that will most likely be a life sentence in prison. It's the least I can do to make up for – for everything."

"Wait, are you sure about this!?" Sylph asked. "There has to be a better way – "

"Sorry, but there really isn't," Alice said, patting Sylph's head. "The only option is for me to answer for what I've done."

Heinrich examined Alice closely. She was filled with quiet determination, just like she'd been on the day they had separated.

 _Two years without a word, then she comes back claiming that she was justified in her actions. It's just – it sounds like some sick joke._

 _…But that doesn't mean it's wrong. Take Akame, for example. If I hadn't known her personally, and only heard of her as Aome Artiste's daughter, I would have thought of her as just another mad necromancer with no respect for the dead._

 _Still, I can't just let her off for everything she's done –_

 _But she said she would accept punishment for it all._

 _No, it has to be a lie, she has to be planning something._

Heinrich closed his eyes, trying to hide the conflict in his heart.

Then he remembered. Their first meeting, when she cheerfully saved him and Ellen from bandits. Their time in Yamatai, where he watched her recover from her trauma and was relieved. Their mutual confessions, awkward, embarrassing, but genuine. The battle against an ancient Sandworm Girl, and even more awkwardness as he found himself in the first love triangle of his life. Their exchange of rings, to ensure that they would have always have each other in their hearts.

There was only one way he could answer.

"Alright… I'll go along with this," Heinrich said.

Sylph jumped for joy and hugged Gnome, who returned the gesture. Undine and Salamander still looked wary, but they didn't dispute his decision. And Alice? Alice lowered her head, though this didn't stop Heinrich from seeing the immense relief on her face.

"Thank you."

Heinrich averted his gaze.

After a few moments, Alice stood up and took a bundle of paper out of a pocket. "I need to go. Here are the full details of the plan. Once you've finished preparing, come to Hellgondo."

Without another word, Alice took flight and vanished into the blue sky. Heinrich and the spirits watched her go.

"…She came back after so long, but she never even brought it up," Sylph said, her wings drooping.

"Brought what up?" Salamander asked.

"You know how they used to be in love?" Sylph said. "Just now, she didn't bring it up at all. Neither did – neither did Heinrich."

Heinrich didn't react to the mention of his name. He simply sat there, staring into the distance.

-ooo-

Three days later, Heinrich arrived at the north coast of the Gold region. During that time, he had practiced with his two new techniques – one of which he had yet to think of a name for – until he was good enough to use them in actual combat.

"Okay, it should be… here," Heinrich said, stopping at a group of three large, almost identical boulders. According to Alice's notes, these marked the end of one of the routes to sneak into Hellgondo.

But Heinrich did not call on the wind and take flight. His mind still contained a trace of suspicion.

 _Yeah, I think it sounds like a trap as well,_ Salamander said. _Still, you'll have to get through anyway. And as you are now, you can break through any security!_

 _Normally, I would criticise your recklessness…_ Undine said. _But here, I agree with you._

Heinrich took a deep breath, then infused himself with wind and leaped. He raced over the water, practically skimming the tops of the waves.

The journey took almost two hours. Along the way, Heinrich encountered a severe storm, one that would make even wyverns refuse to fly. But he had the power of the four natural elements: not a single drop of rain touched him, the strongest gales didn't blow him off course, and even lightning bolts bent around his body.

Finally, a dark mass came into view. Hellgondo, the northern continent, home of monsters.

Heinrich landed on the coast and looked around. Hellgondo was just like the stories: a barren wasteland almost devoid of vegetation, and air thick with dark energy. But, as Alice had promised, there was no one else around.

"Alright. Time to finish this," Heinrich declared.

* * *

 _AN: To shamelessly rip off a certain movie… we're in the endgame now._


	33. Chapter 32: Penultimate Strikes

_AN: Sorry for the wait. One of the reasons this chapter has taken longer than usual (aside from me starting another fic) is that I've been playing MGQ: Paradox. Ironically, I'm now completed the Monster Lord's Castle section, even defeating Black Alice in the process. Apparently a half-angel hero, a human mafia boss, a succubus idol and a former Queen Alraune are collectively strong enough to beat a Monster Lord with ease._

* * *

Kokuja shivered, despite wearing a thick fur coat. Cold was the bane of lamias such as her, and if given a choice, she would never go outside until the arrival of spring. But duty called.

The Three Nobles of Black were currently in a town in the Noah region. This town had been able to fend off attacks for the majority of the war, only to be captured a few months ago. The Three Nobles were in charge of making sure that the town's population didn't rebel and were able to survive the winter. This involved repairing the damage caused by the war and, on one occasion, executing one of their own subordinates for her excesses towards the humans.

Kokuja slithered past a house and caught sight of the other two Nobles, who weren't wearing as much as her yet appeared to be unaffected by the cold. Well, Kokka did look uncomfortable, but that was probably because she hadn't had the chance to fly recently – something that was very limiting to a succubus.

"How were your patrols?" Kokuja asked. "In my case, I checked the food stores and confirmed that there's enough for the rest of the winter."

"Everything was alright on my route," Kurobara replied. "I inspected the buildings on the west side. None of them should fall down in the next few months, at least."

"The same for me, plus I got this from a little boy earlier," Kokka replied, holding up a mass of cloth and stitches that was, presumably, a child's attempt at making a doll.

Kokuja nodded. "The attitudes of the townsfolk have definitely improved since we first came here."

"Slowly, but it's better than nothing," Kurobara said.

"To be honest, I'm really not cut out for this," Kokka said. "But since – well, since there's no one else who can be trusted with this job, it's up to us."

These words made Kokuja recall the suspicious deaths of Lilith and Lilim. Publicly, they were said to have been killed in public, but considering the circumstances, it was likely that they had been assassinated. And while the Three Nobles hadn't been as close to the Queen Succubi as Alice had been, they had still known each other for years.

 _Come to think of it, just what is Alice planning?_ Kokuja wondered. _The plan to recruit Heinrich failed, and she hasn't suggested anything else. So long as those three queens remain in power, there will still be monsters in favour of war. Just what exactly is she trying to accomplish?_

After a few moments, Kokuja dismissed these thoughts. She had discussed this with the others before, but none of them had ever been able to come up with any good solutions. Simply put, there was a reason why the three of them hadn't gone into politics themselves, instead choosing to follow their childhood friend.

"Anyway, isn't it about time for lunch?" Kokuja said.

The other two agreed, and they all went to one of the buildings that were being used by the occupying monsters. A harpy in charge of supplies gave each of them their meals: potatoes and assorted leaf vegetables, with an additional cup of pig's blood for Kurobara.

As she ate, Kokuja said, "You know, given the reputation of the humans of the Noah region, I didn't think that it would be this easy to gain their approval."

"That reputation was probably exaggerated to begin with," Kurobara said. "Think about it: there are many monsters in this region, so there must also be many humans willing to mate with them."

"And when we came here and took over without doing anything worse than damaging a few houses, they see how we're not like their stories," Kokka added.

"That's true," Kokuja said. "If we can keep this trend going… perhaps the humans of Noah will be able to accept monsters, like everywhere else."

The Three Nobles finished their meal but, before they could leave to return to their patrols, a succubus rushed in. She was named Xera and she was one of their subordinates.

"We're under attack, there's – there's an army of humans coming here!" Xera shouted.

"In this weather?" Kurobara said. "Have they lost their minds?"

"Or maybe they're attacking now _because_ no one expects it – anyway, we need to head out!" Kokka said, jumping up from her chair.

The Three Nobles of Black left the building – Kokuja with her spear and shield, Kurobara with her staff, and Kokka armed with only her body – and followed Xera towards the edge of the village. Kokuja also removed her coat along the way – she couldn't afford to be slowed down, and the exertion of battle would warm her up anyway.

"They're to the north – I couldn't get an exact estimate of their numbers, but there had to be at least three hundred of them!" Xera said.

"Three hundred – got it," Kokuja said. "You go around and tell the others to prepare. The three of us will investigate this army!"

Kokuja didn't discuss these orders with her friends before giving them, but neither did she need to. The three of them had been fighting together for the entirety of this war, their shared experience meaning that they could operate as a single unit.

Kokka and Kurobara extended their wings and cloak, respectively, and took to the air. Kurobara didn't fall behind them, using her powerful tail to propel herself over the snow at high speed.

After they were no longer in sight of the town, Kokka announced telepathically, _I sense something up ahead, a large mass of people!_

 _How many?_ Kokuja asked. _Depending on their numbers, we might be able to defeat them by ourselves._

 _There's… roughly…_ Kokka said, sounding confused. _Wait, there's something off about them… they're being enthralled, by succubus magic!_

 _What!?_ Kurobara wondered. _Then – don't let down your guard, they must be –_

Suddenly, winged shapes appeared from all directions, racing towards the Three Nobles. It was obviously an ambush – but the identity of the ambushers was shocking to them.

 _Harpies!?_ Kokuja thought. _The Noah army has no monsters – this has to be Fenghuang's brood!_

 _In that case, Xera must have – I can't believe she's working with them!_ Kokka said, while darting about to avoid the attacks of the harpies, so quickly that she was no more than a blur to Kokuja's eyes.

 _There's too many of them for us to handle them individually – we must unite and fight them off as a group!_ Kurobara said.

Kokuja wielded her spear with unmatched skill, each of her lightning-fast thrusts taking the life of a harpy warrior. She used her shield, which had been forged from orichalcum by a dragon blacksmith, to bloc k the harpies' talons and blades of wind. She whipped her tail about, knocking back the harpies with bone-breaking force. The sheer number of enemies meant that she still suffered some minor injuries, however.

Soon, her two friends managed to break through the mass of harpies and reach Kokuja. Now united, the Three Nobles of Black were a formation with no weaknesses. Kurobara blasted the harpies with lightning from a distance, Kokuja skewered them at mid-range, and Kokka pulverised any who got close with punches and kicks. None of the harpies could land a hit on them now.

 _These harpies are skilled,_ Kokuja thought, _but they can't beat us even with the advantage of surprise. Fenghuang should know that, so why would she –_

Out of the corner of her eye, Kokuja saw that her two friends were slowing down. However, neither of them showed any signs of serious injuries.

 _What is this!?_ Kokka said, narrowly dodging a swipe from a harpy.

 _I didn't sense any of the harpies casting magic,_ Kurobara said, using her cloak to shield herself. _Do they have a long-ranged mage with them?_

 _But you two are more resistant to magic than I am,_ Kokuja said. _How can you be affected while I'm –_

Kokuja's vision dimmed. Then her limbs shook and her movements slowed. This weakness allowed a harpy to close in and inflict a deep gouge on Kokuja's face.

 _You too!?_ Kokka said.

 _Wait, this isn't magic,_ Kurobara said. _The harpy who gave us our food!_

 _She must have slipped poison into it!_ Kokuja realised.

They could no longer hope to defeat the harpies in fair combat. Kokuja scanned her surroundings, spotting a blue-feathered harpy who was taller than the others and wore the best armour out of them. Using all of her remaining strength, she threw her spear at this harpy.

 _If I can just take out their leader –_

But the harpy deflected Kokuja's spear using her own.

The outcome was now unavoidable. The Three Nobles fought fiercely to the end but, one after another, they were brought down.

Lying face-down in the snow, bleeding from dozens of wounds, Kokuja heard someone walk up to her.

"You think… you can get away with this?" Kokuja asked.

"Of course," the presumed harpy leader said. "As far as most people will know, you three fought bravely against a human army and were defeated. All we have to do is finish off the humans that Xera enthralled and drag your bodies over to theirs. Your allies might figure out what happened, but they'll never be able to prove anything."

Kokuja clenched her fist in frustration. _Dammit… to think we'd fall in a place like this…_

 _And we never got to… say goodbye to Zack…_ Kokka said. _We can only hope… that Alice and Dinah can keep him and the others safe…_

 _They'll do that… without a doubt…_ Kurobara said. _Still, it doesn't change the fact… that we failed them._

There was no time for them to exchange any more words. The harpies closed in.

An instant of excruciating pain, then darkness.

-ooo-

Alice sat on her throne, presiding over yet another court session. As usual, Beary was at her side.

"Our forces in Safina clashed with the Sabasa army," reported a dragonkin. "After a hard-fought battle, they were able to kill the Sabasa king, along with an estimated two thousand of his soldiers. The casualties were especially high among the traitor monsters."

 _Damn, then there's no choice but to go ahead,_ Alice thought. "That is good news. Then we are now in a position to capture Sabasa?"

"Unfortunately… no, Your Majesty," the dragonkin admitted. "We lost over five hundred of our own soldiers in the same battle. And while some of the Sabasans may be demoralised by the loss of their king, others will only fight harder to avenge him, and either way that city's defences are as solid as ever. I cannot recommend attacking Sabasa until our soldiers have recovered and replenished their numbers."

Keeping her relief hidden, Alice said, "That's a pity. There truly are no certainties in war. Vieran, how is the situation in the Noah region?"

A beast with the features of a rabbit stepped forward. "It's going quite well, Your Majesty. Under the leadership of your Three Nobles, our forces have been able to gain support from the local population by allowing them to remain in their homes and helping rebuild any battle damage. In some cases, we've even received information from the locals that would assist us in capturing Grand Noah."

"That's definitely good news," Alice said. "You know, I first heard of this approach to war in an old book. I thought it was foolish at first, as did many in this court when I suggested it. But it seems to get results. Perhaps if we had gone with this approach from the beginning, we would have had more success in this war."

Alice directed a brief glance towards Fenghuang, who was currently standing to the side as the representative of her faction.

"If I may speak, Your Majesty, we are still far from victory," Fenghuang said, stepping forward. "We may be winning here and there, but so long as that hero Heinrich remains, any gains we make will never last. We must kill him."

"And how do you think this can be done?" Alice asked. "You and your allies have made such suggestions before, yet that hero is clearly still alive."

"First, we study what we know of the hero and predict, to the best of our ability, where he will go next," Fenghuang said. "Then I, along with either of my two fellow queens, will go to one of the human cities – most likely Sabasa or San Ilia, considering the season – and attack it. When the hero appears, the two of us will cooperate and kill him. That hero may be more powerful than any other human, but he ultimately still isn't on our level. With two of us present, he won't be able to escape as he has previously."

 _I need to keep them here,_ Alice thought. _Heinrich probably wouldn't lose to them, but if the three of them aren't taken out at once, it'll drag things out and cause even more deaths._

"That's a good suggestion, Fenghuang," Alice said. "However, we haven't received any recent reports of the hero's location. It will be difficult to predict his movements."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Fenghuang said. "If the hero isn't already present, then we will capture the city and the hero will be forced to come to its rescue."

Alice maintained her calm expression, but internally she was thinking frantically about how to refuse this proposal.

"That's one of the most foolish ideas I've heard," Dinah said, brazenly stepping forward. "And I've already heard many of those coming from your group."

Fenghuang glared at Dinah, but the sister of the Monster Lord did not flinch.

"You're assuming that the hero is your only opponent," Dinah said. "But from the reports, the intervention of the humans and their allied monsters was crucial to several of the hero's victories. This was in spite of you having armies of your own. You haven't even considered that, so how can I call your idea anything but foolish?"

There was murmuring from the servants and other nobles, with a general tone of agreement with these words.

"I will not be questioned by someone who has not fought a single battle," Fenghuang retorted.

"I have no intentions of fighting in a war I disagree with," Dinah said. "This entire war has been a tremendous mistake."

The two high-ranking monsters confronted each other. Those around them backed away, clearly fearing that the two would come to blows.

"Halt," Alice commanded, in a voice that drew the attention of everyone in the room. "Back down. I will not have fighting in my court."

Then Alice raised a hand and conjured up a fireball, which struck Dinah head-on. The fireball burnt off much of her dress and singed her blonde hair, but she remained standing.

"I also won't abide anyone questioning my decisions in such a manner," Alice continued. "Not even if they are family."

"Is that all you have?" Dinah said. "I've taken worse injuries in the bedroom!"

"Leave, sister," Alice commanded.

After one last look of defiance, Dinah turned and left the room.

 _…I wouldn't have gotten through that if it wasn't for Dinah,_ Alice thought.

Alice and her sister had numerous contingencies for almost every situation. One of them was if Alice was having trouble in court, requiring Dinah to help her out. Since Dinah was known publicly for defying her sister, she'd suggested that Alice attack her in order to maintain the façade of them being enemies. This was the first time they'd had to resort to this.

 _And I can't even thank her for it, or apologise. Not for this, not for any of the hundreds of things she's done for me in these past two years… Anyway, I can't waste this opportunity._

"Now, Fenghuang," Alipheese said, "while my sister may have been insolent, she did raise a good point. You and your allies have consistently underestimated the strength of the humans and the traitors. You will therefore forgive me for not being confident in your ability to defeat the hero."

Fenghuang lowered her head, not disputing this.

Alice opened her mouth, about to refuse the Queen Harpy's proposal, when a human messenger hurried into the room. He was also very obviously panicking.

"U-Urgent news, Your Majesty!" the messenger stammered. "Your Three Nobles, they've – we've received word that they've been killed! In combat against the Noah army!"

Alice gripped the handrests of her throne so tightly that she cracked the stone. She glanced at Fenghuang, who looked shocked at the news – but Alice wasn't fooled in the slightest.

"Thank you for the report, Maximus," Alice said. She raised her voice. "For now, our forces are to focus on surviving the winter and recovering from their wounds. We will not make any significant actions until the spring. That is all for today."

With the court session ended, the nobles and servants filed out of the audience hall. Alice followed suit, still keeping her emotions hidden.

 _'In combat against the Noah army'…_ _as if._

 _Kokka, Kokuja, Kurobara… you didn't have to go this far._

Alice remembered. Her first attempt at flying, an absolute failure, but Kokka gave her useful advice on how to remain in the air. Her sparring with Kokuja, in which they improved each other's skills at melee combat. Her discussions of magical theory with Kurobara, without which Alice would never have achieved a feat like double casting spells.

 _Considering what happened, the three of you won't even get anything like a proper burial… though I guess that's true of almost everyone in this war._

 _Now… the only ones I can trust, the only ones left, are Dinah and… Heinrich._

Lost in her own thoughts, Alice didn't pay much attention to her surroundings. She soon arrived at a dining room containing two scylla maids.

"Can you bring me my usual dinner?" Alice asked.

"Certainly, Your Majesty," the maids replied, bowing.

The maids left the room and, after a few minutes, returned bearing plates of food. They bowed again and moved to the wall. This sequence of actions was that of the ideal servant… nothing like how they used to treat Alice.

Alice ate her dinner in silence. Considering the supply problems, the meal was of decent quality – bread, cheese, beetle grubs – but she didn't gain any enjoyment from eating. In fact, she hadn't for over a year.

Once she was finished, Alice left the plates for the maids to take away, then began walking to her personal room. Her thoughts turned to another recent incident.

 _I hadn't seen him for years… and with all the stories, it was only natural that he would be angry at me._

 _All of the Four Great Spirits, and from the looks of things, he's even learned to use all of their elements at once… it's an incredible achievement, even I can only manage three elements at once._

 _I wonder if he's arrived yet? Back then, he gave the impression that he didn't feel he was ready yet, so he might still be training…_

Finally, Alice arrived at her room. She stepped in, shut the door behind her, crouched on the floor and wept.

Alice knew that anyone who followed her was at risk of assassination. And she knew that Heinrich would hate her, possibly even to the point of wanting to kill her.

But that knowledge didn't prepare her for the reality. Nothing could have prepared her for that.

A few minutes later, Alice pulled herself to her feet. She walked unsteadily to her bed and collapsed onto it.

 _I've been wearing this mask almost constantly ever since that day,_ Alice reflected. _Even when I met him again, I didn't take it off._

 _Anyway, it doesn't matter. This will all end soon… one way or another._

-ooo-

In a corridor of Remina Castle, Edina let out a sigh of exhaustion. She walked the last few steps to her room and opened the door. Inside was a short man with a youthful face and purple hair.

Under normal circumstances, Edina would have reached for her dagger or jumped back and begun casting magic. However, she didn't do either of those things now.

"You're earlier than I expected, Heinrich," Edina cried out.

"There's no reason for me to waste any time," Heinrich replied. "I came here as soon as I was ready."

"This wasn't how I was imagining our reunion to turn out," Edina said. She moved towards a cupboard. "I can at least prepare tea, if you want."

Heinrich initially looked as if he was going to refuse, but then nodded.

As she prepared the tea, Edina looked discreetly at Heinrich – or at least, she tried to, but he undoubtedly noticed her attempts. Anyway, compared to when she'd last seen him, Heinrich seemed like an entirely different person. He moved with far more certainty in his movements and his eyes now gave the same impression as those of a king. But at the same time, he was clearly exhausted, like an ancient beast which had suffered countless trials throughout its life.

 _And it all happened in just two years,_ Edina thought. _Though I guess the same is true of me._

The tea was ready. Edina sat in a chair and passed a cup of tea to Heinrich.

"So, I know that Alice has filled you in on the essentials already," Edina said. "Did she tell you what I've been doing all this time?"

"She mentioned it in the notes she gave me," Heinrich said. "You've been part of her sister's spy network, right?"

"That's right – though I'm not a spy in the technical sense of the word," Edina said. "A few weeks before the start of the war, I was called back here because of the growing tensions. Then when it started, Dinah contacted me via an agent to be part of her network. If I may say so myself, I'm pretty useful due to the connections I made in Sabasa and because I'm one of the few people who can use telepathy over intercontinental distances. Anyway, I'm guessing you're in a rush, so I'll be quick. You want to know about what's happening here in Remina, correct?"

"Yes."

"Okay, so this city has been relatively peaceful for most of the war," Edina explained. "It was mainly thanks to Alice ordering that Hellgondo's citizens be allowed to live as they always have. If it wasn't for her… the human men would now all be breeding studs for monsters, and the women broodmares to make more humans."

Heinrich didn't show any reaction to these words. Edina wasn't sure how to interpret this.

"But more recently, after a long string of losses by monsterkind, things changed," Edina said. "Members of the traditional faction of monsters have started taking out their frustrations on the people here. Most of the time they just get drunk and start riots, but sometimes they prey on humans in the alleys, leaving behind dried-up corpses. Of course, they're careful not to leave any evidence linking them to these murders. And recently, our own progressive faction has lost some important members. You've heard about Lilith and Lilim's deaths, right?"

"I did, wasn't that because of the… regime change in Succubus Village?" Heinrich said.

"It was, and just yesterday, I received word of the Three Nobles of Black supposedly being killed in action," Edina said.

Edina paused. She hadn't seen Alice in several months – in fact, she'd only met her childhood friend twice during the war – so she didn't know how she was handling this news. Not well, she guessed.

"It's all but guaranteed that they were assassinated, but there's no hard proof of that," Edina said. "Anyway, the point is that our position is weaker and it's difficult to handle this problem ourselves. That's why we'd appreciate your help."

"Got it," Heinrich said.

Edina told Heinrich where to go and what he should do for maximum effect. She then asked, "And… is there anything else you want to know?"

Heinrich kept his gaze fixed on the floor for a few seconds. Then he looked at Edina and asked, "What do you think about her? About Alice?"

Edina had spent several months preparing for this moment, but she still couldn't stop herself from flinching. Taking a deep breath, she began to speak.

"Well… I'm sure you've heard the stories yourself, and I know that Alice has already told you the truth behind her actions. But I know her, and I know that she wouldn't have told you the full story. I know that she downplayed just how much good she did. Think about it this way – imagine that all four kings of Sentora and the Head Priestess of the Ilias continent died one day, and most people were under the impression that monsters were responsible. And this was after a series of events that increased tensions between humans and monsters. What do you think would happen next?"

"Humanity would declare war on monsters," Heinrich replied. "Any monsters within human territories, or who got captured in battle, would be lucky if they were killed quickly."

"That's right," Edina said, slightly unnerved by the ease with which Heinrich had come up with this reply. "But, at least on Hellgondo, that's not what happened. I can't emphasise this enough – until recently, humans here have been able to live more or less the same way they always did, and this is all because of Alice's orders. And I haven't seen what it's like elsewhere, not with my own eyes, but I've heard the reports. Alice may not have full control over her armies, but she – and her friends, before their deaths – reined in the worst of the excesses. Does that match with what you've seen?"

"It does," Heinrich said. "When I was retaking villages in the Gold region, I heard from the surviving villagers about how they used to be able to live normally while the Lilith Sisters is in charge."

Edina nodded. "I know why they call her Black Alice, and I understand why they do it. But, personally, I believe that she's done the best that anyone could do in her situation."

"…I see," Heinrich said, finishing off his tea. "Thanks for the information. It's time for me to repay the favour."

Heinrich moved to the door, muttered "It was nice seeing you again, Edina" and left the room. All traces of his presence, even the faint vibrations that an earth mage like Edina could sense, vanished.

Edina relaxed in her chair and closed her eyes.

 _Two years apart, less than ten minutes together, and neither of us brings up the behemoth in the room. Though, considering the circumstances, that might be for the best._

 _And right now, Alice must be in a horrible state. Out of her friends, I'm the only one still alive… her sister is publicly acting as her enemy… and everyone else either hates her or is the kind of person that she hates._

 _If only I could be there for her… if only things were still as simple as when the three of us were adventuring in Safina…_

-ooo-

Heinrich disguised himself, using the power of water to change his hair to brown and add freckles to his face, then wandered aimlessly through the streets of Remina.

Remina was smaller than the four capital cities of Sentora, yet it was also more technologically advanced than any of them. The buildings were constructed from neatly assembled stones and all of their windows contained glass. Furthermore, many of the buildings were enchanted with spells – from what Heinrich could discern, mainly spells to protect them from wear and to maintain comfortable temperatures for their inhabitants. Said inhabitants were also noteworthy, as they included rare and powerful monsters like Behemoth Girls, Wyverns, Kirins, and Elder Succubi, all mingling freely with weaker monsters and humans.

But Heinrich didn't slow down to enjoy these sights. He passed by the grand buildings and dense crowds on his way to the first of the locations Edina had mentioned.

He arrived on the east side of the city. In an abandoned warehouse were a swarm of arachnes, some of the few remaining who clung to the philosophy of their queen. They were responsible for the abduction and consumption of half a dozen men in the past few months.

Heinrich recalled the band of insect slavers from Plansect Village. Back then, she had gone off on her own to handle them. She'd come back claiming that the insects would no longer trouble anyone. Of course, things didn't go as she planned and the insects had returned to their old ways. The same was true for the human bandits at their very first meeting. Because she hadn't done what was needed, hadn't just killed the criminals like any leader would have done, that small village wouldn't have been ravaged.

Returning to the present, Heinrich found the arachnes in the warehouse, currently feeding on their latest victim. He knocked out the arachnes and applied basic healing to the man. Then he deposited the man at the nearest apothecary and carried the unconscious arachnes, two at a time, to the city square. He reshaped the ground to surround the arachnes and used water magic to temporarily seal their own ability to use magic. These events naturally led to a crowd gathering, which Heinrich quickly instructed to watch over the arachnes, then he moved on.

Heinrich moved to the south side of the city. Roaming the streets were a pack of beast monsters led by a Behemoth Girl. They were responsible for starting drunken brawls that had caused considerable injuries and property damage.

Heinrich recalled the destruction wrought by the war. Village after village, buildings razed to the ground, population enslaved or killed. The devastating assault on Grangold by a pure-blooded dragon. Even the assault led by the late Three Nobles of Black, which had been relatively restrained, had left hundreds without a parent, sibling or child.

Returning to the present, Heinrich approached the beast pack and passed in front of one of its members, just close enough to be uncomfortable. While a normal person would have simply expressed annoyance, the beasts became angry and surrounded him, demanding compensation. Heinrich allowed the argument to escalate into a fight, easily defeated the beasts, then deposited them at the city square in the same manner as the arachnes.

He moved to the west side of the city. In the basement of a house was a colony of slimes. They were responsible for harassing the monsters who abstained from the war, calling them cowards and claiming that they were the reason why monsterkind had yet to win. Additionally, a nearby family had reported the sudden disappearance of one of its members, and these slimes were rumoured to be the culprits

Heinrich recalled his second visit to Succubus Village. Unlike his previous visit, the succubi had been treating the humans like livestock – no, that was an insult to every farmer who put in the effort to care for their livestock. The humans – those still alive by the time Heinrich arrived – had been reduced to skeletons wrapped in skin. The attitudes of the succubi had reminded him of the Lilith Sisters, causing him to enter a quiet rage and kill them all. After calming down, he'd taken the surviving humans to Grangold.

Returning to the present, Heinrich entered the basement to find that they had indeed also taken a man captive. Judging from his physical state, the man was in no danger of dying, but his mental state was another matter entirely. Heinrich subdued the slimes easily and brought the man back to his family. He then carried the slimes back to the city square, using the power of water to handle their amorphous bodies.

The crowd in the city square now comprised hundreds of people, with confusion the predominant emotion among them. Their confusion was only amplified by Heinrich appearing with a third group of unconscious monsters. Heinrich set down the slimes and thought about what he should say.

This time, Heinrich recalled the conversation he'd just had with Edina. She had shown firm support for Alice, which could be construed as personal bias… but all four of Heinrich's magical senses, along with simple experience, told him that she hadn't been lying and that she was, deep down, the same person as before.

Returning to the present, Heinrich removed his disguise and began to speak.

"People of Remina! I am the hero Heinrich, you've probably heard of me! I have come here to bring an end to this war! But make no mistakes – my goal is not to slaughter monsters in the name of Ilias! My goal is to bring the world back to its previous state, with humans and monsters able to live together as equals!"

The crowd cheered. Heinrich gestured towards the unconscious monsters.

"If any of you are still in favour of war, then I shall bring you down, even if you are a queen! But if you favour peace, then I shall fight to protect you!"

After another round of cheers from the crowd, Heinrich raised his voice further.

"Take these criminals to prison, and convey my words to everyone you know! Now, I must leave for the Monster Lord's Castle, where I will finish this war once and for all!"

Heinrich gathered the wind around himself and took flight, rising out of the city square and flying northward. The land surrounding Remina was covered in green pastures and small groves of trees, but those soon gave way to the barren tundra that characterised Hellgondo. The sun was already beginning to set after just a few hours of sunlight – a consequence of how close he was to the north pole.

 _If I never have to give another speech again, it'll be too soon,_ Heinrich thought.

 _Hey, it's not that bad,_ Sylph said. _Although, I guess I haven't had to give as many speeches as you have…_

Gnome said nothing, but she gave off an atmosphere of reassurance.

 _Public speaking is rarely an enjoyable duty, but it is a necessary one,_ Undine said. _Especially before an event of this importance._

 _Speaking of which, this battle is going to be toughest one yet,_ Salamander said. _You ready for this?_

 _As ready as I'll ever be,_ Heinrich replied.

Passing over snow-covered mountains, knocking out the various flying monsters that tried to intercept him, Heinrich finally arrived at his destination: the Monster Lord's Castle.


	34. Chapter 33: Last Struggle

The Monster Lord's Castle was an imposing building. It was constructed from a bluish-grey stone that brimmed with dark magic. The main structure consisted of three storeys, each of which was several times the height of a normal one, presumably to accommodate larger monsters. Two towers were positioned on the west and east sides. The south wall contained a massive pair of gates, made not from wood but from metal – orichalcum, Heinrich guessed.

The gates were still open when Heinrich landed a short distance from the castle. Dozens of monsters streamed in through the entrance, undoubtedly retreating to the safest refuge on the continent. The gates eventually closed and a barrier, vivid purple with flecks of black, appeared surrounding the castle. Heinrich remained where he was, partly because he didn't want to fight inside the castle where the potential casualties would be enormous, and partly because there was one last enemy to fight out here.

One of the monsters hadn't retreated inside the castle – though she was so large that she couldn't have done so even if she'd wanted to. She was a pure-blooded dragon of such size that she had a grove of trees growing on her back. Her scales were dull blue while her eyes were the red of dried blood. A pair of backwards-curving horns grew from her head. This was a Kyoryuu, the largest subrace of dragon that still walked the earth. They were never seen outside of Hellgondo and were considered the stuff of legend.

Using the wind to amplify his voice, Heinrich shouted, "I don't suppose there's any way to settle this by talking instead of fighting?"

"There is none," the Kyoryuu replied, in a voice so loud that it shook the earth. "I will tell you this… I do not care whether your cause is just. I have sworn to protect this castle and Hellgondo against all intruders!"

Opening her massive jaws, the Kyoryuu let forth a cone of flame that could have vaporised a town in an instant. Heinrich took flight and moved to the side to avoid the flames, but the Kyoryuu twisted her long neck in an attempt to follow. However, even if the dragon was faster than her size would suggest, she could not keep up with someone with the speed of the wind.

Heinrich reached the Kyoryuu's head and, using the flat of his blade, delivered a powerful impact to her temple. As the Kyoryuu reeled from the blow, Heinrich grabbed onto one horn, pressed one of his hands to her skin, and began manipulating the flow of water in the underlying flesh.

Resistance to magic had two components, physical and mental, and the latter required conscious thought. Physically, the Kyoryuu was just as resilient to magic as always, but mentally, the blow to her head left her disoriented and thus compromised her defences.

The Kyoryuu thrashed about for several seconds, trying to dislodge Heinrich, but the strength of the earth allowed him to just barely hold on. Eventually, the gigantic dragon collapsed, unconscious.

-ooo-

Dinah watched the battle via a large crystal which displayed the surroundings of the castle. She was awed at the sight.

 _I've heard the reports of what he's done, but seeing it in person is something else entirely!_ Dinah thought. _Even if I were to fight Terra myself, I wouldn't be certain of victory… and he didn't just defeat her in seconds, he did so without killing her!_

Dinah glanced around. She was surrounded by a diverse range of people – humans and monsters, commoners and nobles, castle inhabitants and nomads from outside. Among the crowd were her sister, who was acting disarmingly cheerful like usual, and the three great queens, who seemed about to explode with frustration.

Deciding to be a little more daring than usual, Dinah said, "Well, it appears that we are now in a difficult situation."

Sköll glared at Dinah while baring her teeth. "Don't get ahead of yourself. All this means is that we're saved the trouble of having to track him down."

"Are you sure about that?" Dinah retorted. "Unless I'm remembering things wrongly, it was you three who claimed, near the start of the war, that there was no chance of any human forces even setting foot on Hellgondo. And yet one has literally made it to our doorstep."

"That was… a miscalculation," Fenghuang said, "but there is no chance of the hero prevailing now. The barrier of this castle is the strongest in the world, even lasting through multiple sieges by the angels during the Great Monster Wars. He will never break through, not while he is under attack by our own forces on the walls."

"An excellent point… except you seem to have missed one important thing," Dinah said. "Our forces haven't tried attacking the hero in the slightest yet. I wonder why that is?"

The Queen Harpy averted her gaze. Heinrich's appearance on Hellgondo had dramatically changed the attitudes of the population. News of the hero's arrival had already spread via telepathy to every part of Hellgondo, possibly even to Sentora, striking fear into those who had been in favour of the war while inspiring those who wished for peace. The castle guards were no exception to this.

Leviathan slammed the bottom of her trident on the floor, with enough force to crack the stone. "Enough! We should end this now by going out and crushing him! Even if he has the power of the spirits, he is only one human!"

"You will do no such thing," Alice said, in a tone that brooked no argument. "When fighting defensively, it's common sense to remain within one's fortifications, is it not? And quiet down, the hero is saying something."

Dinah, along with the three queens and everyone else, turned back towards the viewing crystal.

"– do not wish to harm those who have no desire to fight!" Heinrich said. "For your own safety, please stay away from the south wall!"

Fenghuang scoffed. "Has he lost his faculties? Does he genuinely believe that anything he does could threaten…"

The Queen Harpy trailed off, and Dinah immediately realised why. The floor was shaken by a series of intense vibrations… coming from the south. A few seconds later, many more people flooded into the room.

Dinah looked back at the crystal and saw that Heinrich was still some distance from the castle, pointing his sword skywards.

-ooo-

 _First, the wind…_

Heinrich summoned the power of the playful wind into his sword. A small tornado formed around the blade, pulling it in every direction, but he held on.

 _Next, the earth…_

Heinrich summoned the power of the indomitable earth into his sword. The weight of the sword increased dramatically, but he held on.

 _Next, the water…_

Heinrich summoned the power of the mysterious water into his sword. Streams of water spiralled around the blade, clashing with the wind and the earth, but he held on.

 _Finally, the fire…_

Heinrich summoned the power of the raging fire into his sword. Gouts of flame surrounded the blade, clashing with the other three elements, creating what could only be described as pure chaos, but still he held on.

The preparations were complete. Heinrich swung his sword forwards, shouting the name of this ultimate technique.

"Quadruple Giga!"

A titanic blade of elemental force was unleashed from Heinrich's sword. It rushed forward, carving a deep furrow into the ground, and slammed into the barrier. The resulting explosion was so bright that even Heinrich had to shield his eyes.

When the dust cleared, the barrier was gone… and the gates of the Monster Lord's castle had been torn off their hinges, and even the surrounding wall was cracked in several places.

-ooo-

Dinah was stunned, her mouth gaping open. The others in the room were less restrained, with some kneeling and offering prayers to the Dark Goddess.

 _…He's not just capable of fighting powerful monsters any more,_ Dinah thought. _That power… it's something that nobody else in this world could even hope to achieve, not even my sister at her strongest… it might even be enough to harm Ilias!_

Meanwhile, Heinrich had begun speaking again.

"Do you now understand my power!? If any of you still wish to fight, then I will not hold back! If you value your lives, then leave the castle and surrender! If you do so, I shall spare you!"

These words tipped the already precarious balance. Monsters and humans flooded out of the room, and for once the three queens were completely helpless. The very philosophy they had preached their entire lives, to obey strength above all else, had been turned against them. And if they were to use violence to keep the people fleeing, they would immediately incur the wrath of Dinah's sister. Soon, the only ones remaining in the room were the three queens, Dinah and Alice.

"Well?" Dinah said. "Do you still claim that you stand a chance against the hero?"

"Of-Of course!" Sköll growled. "From what we just saw, he needs to stand still and charge up to use that kind of power. The three of us can still take him!"

"If it pleases you, allow us to go out and redeem ourselves… Your Majesty," Fenghuang said to Alice. "We will return with the head of the hero."

"That's if there's anything left of him once we're done," Leviathan said.

Alice tilted her head and hummed thoughtfully. Eventually, she said, "Some time ago, I said that I would have done better to recruit this hero Heinrich to my cause. If you wish to still call yourselves queens of monsterkind, go out and prove me wrong."

Filled with fighting spirit, the three queens left the room. Now, only Dinah and her sister were left.

Dinah cast a simple spell, testing for the presence of a certain other spell, and was satisfied with the result.

"You know, Heinrich's attack has damaged a lot of the foci for the spells in the castle… including the one they used to eavesdrop on any telepathy," Dinah said. "And, for once, there's nobody spying on us – they've all fled with the rest."

Alice lowered her head and closed her eyes. She threw herself at Dinah, wrapping her arms around her.

Dinah returned the hug. "There… it's over now. You don't have to keep it up any longer."

Alice didn't say anything in response. Considering everything she had lost – her honour, her reputation, her friends, her love – that was only natural.

"Once you're ready, we should go out as well," Dinah said. "Once Heinrich's finished, all you have to do is surrender to him, then it'll all be over."

Alice remained still for a moment. She then placed a hand on Dinah's head.

"Sorry… and goodbye, Dinah."

It took a second for Dinah to realise what her sister meant, preventing her from resisting. Her consciousness faded.

-ooo-

Heinrich was nearly overwhelmed by the crowd that emerged from the castle – there had to be over a thousand of them. Given how barren Hellgondo was, refugees must have fled to the castle from all over the continent. Heinrich shouted some quick instructions for them to keep a safe distance from the upcoming battle. The refugees did so, also keeping a shorter but still cautious distance from the unconscious body of the Kyoryuu.

It wasn't long before the three great queens emerged. They were all glaring at Heinrich, but Leviathan seemed even angrier than the rest, looking as though she would attack at any moment. However, none of them allowed their emotions to hinder them – the power Heinrich sensed was even greater than in their previous battles.

"It's been a while," Sköll said. "Looks like you'll finally be able to put up a good fight."

"Are you still pretending to be a bloodthirsty brute?" Heinrich asked.

Sköll paused, then her lips curled in a genuine smile. "Heh. So you figured that out as well?"

"Enough with the idle chatter," Fenghuang said. "Hero Heinrich… I will acknowledge that your power is unprecedented. But you will find that we are not simply stationary targets – "

Without warning, Leviathan pointed her trident forward and shot out a bolt of lightning.

Heinrich deflected the lightning with his sword, but the accompanying heat and shockwave still destroyed the outer layer of his clothing, revealing the armour he was wearing beneath. He'd actually been wearing it since Remina, just in case of unexpected attack.

Leviathan charged forward, forcing Heinrich to parry her trident with his sword.

 _She's_ definitely _angry,_ Heinrich thought.

 _Despite that, she is still maintaining a serene mind,_ Undine warned. _Do not let your guard down._

 _Noted. And next is –_

Heinrich twisted to the left, narrowly avoiding a swipe of sharp claws. For an instant, he saw Sköll's face from close range; she was no longer smiling, now focused solely on the battle. Then Heinrich used a gust of wind to push the wolf monster back.

The battle was joined, with the three queens each performing a different role.

Leviathan maintain constant pressure on Heinrich, attacking with lightning-infused trident, muscular tail and gouts of icy breath, limiting his movements and ability to retaliate.

Sköll darted in and out, harassing Heinrich with a variety of unarmed strikes. Each individual attack held relatively little power, but only one needed to land to make Heinrich vulnerable to further attack.

Fenghuang didn't attack Heinrich directly, instead flying high above the battlefield and moving her wings in a strange, flowing dance. Heinrich understood what she was doing: it was a special method of casting magic via the movements of one's body, used by harpies and a few other races of monsters. This particular dance imparted the power of the wind to the caster's allies, and was currently responsible for making Leviathan and Sköll almost as fast as Heinrich.

Any other warrior would have lost within the first few seconds… but Heinrich was no average warrior. Now, he had mastered the power of the Four Great Spirits. The wind increased his speed by dozens of times and the water ensured that he followed optimal trajectories, allowing him to avoid the attacks of two queen monsters while landing a few of his own. The earth reinforced his body and weapon while the fire gave him explosive power and boundless stamina, allowing him to block his enemies' attacks and pierce through their tough hides.

After a minute of fighting – though it seemed like an hour to Heinrich – neither side had made any significant progress. Heinrich and two of the queens had several minor wounds, but nothing that seriously hindered them, and none of them showed any signs of fatigue.

 _I can't win unless I take Fenghuang down first,_ Heinrich thought. _And I also can't do that as long as the other two are around._

 _I thought they'd be used to fighting alone and have bad teamwork, but that turned out to be a mistake,_ Salamander said. _Still, you should be able to make an opening with this…_

After listening to the fire spirit's suggestion, Heinrich continued fighting defensively for a few seconds. Then he pretended to have been injured by his previous use of Quadruple Giga, slowing down his right arm and twisting his face into an expression of pain. Leviathan took the bait, thrusting her trident forward in a finishing blow. Heinrich dodged the thrust, gathered fire and wind to the edge of his sword and slashed, creating a blade of burning wind that rushed towards Fenghuang.

But the Queen Harpy dodged the attack without even interrupting her dance. A swipe from Sköll struck Heinrich in the torso, where it was blocked by his armour but still knocked him back. Heinrich had to throw himself to the side to avoid a tail whip from Leviathan.

 _That didn't work – I don't know what I expected, thinking she'd go down that easily,_ Heinrich thought.

 _There is no need to disparage yourself,_ Undine said. _It is the foolish spark's fault for suggesting something so –_

 _I didn't hear you objecting when I suggested it!_ Salamander retorted.

 _This isn't the time for this!_ Sylph interrupted. _Heinrich, maybe you can try disrupting their footing?_

Heinrich turned his attention to the ground. He sent out a wave of earth magic that lowered the viscosity of the earth. But Leviathan responded immediately, slamming her trident on the ground and causing it to freeze solid.

 _Also didn't work,_ Heinrich thought. _In that case…_

Heinrich decided to try out something that he'd been avoiding up until now. If he was honest with himself, there was no good reason for this… he simply hadn't wanted to follow _her_ plan so exactly.

Clashing with Leviathan once again, Heinrich said, "Are you sure you don't want to talk? I'm sorry about what I did to your face, but you know how it is – "

"Nothing you say will keep me from crushing you!" Leviathan declared, unleashing another lightning bolt from her trident.

"If you're trying to make us slip up, don't bother!" Sköll said, opening her mouth and howling once again.

Heinrich deflected both attacks with a barrier of wind, then said, "That's a strange smell, Leviathan. Is it what you had for lunch today?"

Sköll looked confused by these words, though not enough to stop her assault. In contrast, Leviathan looked furious.

"It smells like… haddock and jellyfish, seasoned with crimson seagrass," Heinrich said. "I've cooked with a lot of different ingredients from all over the world, so I'm pretty confident in my ability to tell these things."

"Silence!" Leviathan roared, firing off a rapid barrage of lightning bolts. "If it weren't for you humans plundering the sea, I wouldn't be forced to consume such trash!"

"Wait – _that's_ why you've been in a bad mood lately?" Sköll said, surprised. "This is war! This isn't time to be picky about food!"

"And I'm pretty sure this isn't the fault of humans," Heinrich said, casually dodging the lightning. "I've been talking to a lot of people, and I've heard stories about monsters overfishing the North Sea."

Leviathan reached her limit. Opening her mouth, she released a freezing breath more powerful than any she'd produced before. But the flow around her became disordered – she had lost her serene mind.

Sköll yelled at her ally, "Hey, calm down, now's not the time to – "

It was too late for Sköll's words to do any good. Heinrich dodged the attack with ease, then concentrated the four elements into his right arm and used Element Spica. A blade of rainbow energy, too large to dodge, shot upwards and struck Fenghuang.

The only remnants of the Queen Harpy were chunks of charred flesh, raining down on the battlefield.

To their credit, the two remaining queens didn't lose their nerve at their ally's death, with Leviathan even returning to her serene mind. But they were still less composed than they had been at the start of the battle, an opportunity that Heinrich wasn't about to miss.

That said, Heinrich wasn't in optimal condition either. Thanks to using multiple powerful techniques in a short period of time, his reserves of mana were low. He wouldn't be able to use Element Spica again – unless his enemy was generous enough to give him a few minutes to recover.

 _That worked even better than I expected,_ Heinrich thought. _Now, if I remember correctly, Sköll was…_

Heinrich and the two queens clashed again. Leviathan and Sköll fought even more fiercely than before, many of their attacks leaving craters in the ground. But without their speed being enhanced by Fenghuang, they could not catch up to Heinrich. He danced around them, not letting a single attack land, all the while continuing to talk.

"What's wrong? Isn't your philosophy that monsters are superior to humans? How are you having this much trouble with just me?"

The two queens did not reply, but Heinrich could tell, from the flow around them, that his words had hit their marks.

"Sure, I have the power of the four spirits with me. But I'm still human underneath, it's not like I'm part-monster or part-angel or anything. And there's three of you – _were_ three of you, yet you still haven't been able to defeat me."

"Shut up!" Sköll snapped. "We're not falling for that again!"

"And Sköll, I'm surprised you're in favour of this war. What would Hati think?"

Sköll halted in her tracks. Leviathan continued fighting and shouted at her ally, telling her to pay no attention to Heinrich's words, but to no avail.

"I had no choice!" Sköll screamed, throwing herself at Heinrich and attacking him wildly. "If I hadn't done it, my mother would have – you don't understand!"

The wolf monster was now far more aggressive than before, swinging her claws around with enough force to injure Heinrich through his armour… if they actually hit him. Sköll's rage meant that she no longer had any of her previous skill. And in addition to that, by staying in close proximity to Heinrich, she ensured that Leviathan could not intervene without hitting her own ally.

"Are you sure about that?" Heinrich said as he evaded the attacks. "I didn't have the same childhood you did, but mine was still far from perfect! But I never killed any of my friends!"

These words pushed Sköll over the edge. She threw herself at Heinrich, but he calmly dodged her swipe and decapitated her in a single slash.

 _Two down, just one to go._

Alice had told Heinrich all about the three queens' personalities and especially their weaknesses. Leviathan normally kept a veneer of calm, but she became enraged over even minor things like her diet. Sköll, while still a child, been forced to kill one of her friends by her mother as a way of proving her "strength of character". And Fenghuang, although Heinrich hadn't had the chance to talk to her, had her own issues: some of her harpy subjects raided other monsters for food and mates, behaviour which she condoned but still felt guilty about.

 _In the past, I would have felt guilty about doing this,_ Heinrich thought. _Well, maybe not about doing this to Leviathan, but still…_

Returning to the present, Heinrich looked at Leviathan. The sea dragon was larger than him or most of the monsters here, including her own fallen allies, yet right now she seemed to be the smallest.

"Do you still want to fight, Leviathan?" Heinrich asked. "Even at this stage, surrender is still an option."

"So long as I can still stand, I will never surrender!" Leviathan replied.

"You fought me with two allies by your side, yet none of you managed to land a serious blow," Heinrich said. "Do you truly believe that you can still win?"

Gritting her teeth, Leviathan brandished her trident, conjuring up massive icicles that shot towards Heinrich. The hero avoided these by leaping into the air. From his elevated position, Heinrich rained down blades of wind on his opponent.

"A true leader should know not only when to start a war," Heinrich said, "but when to finish one. If you call yourself – "

"Enough!" Leviathan roared. "We didn't kill the previous Monster Lord just to lose to a mere human!"

Only after these words had resounded through the barren landscape did Leviathan realise her mistake, her mouth dropping open in horror.

Heinrich looked around while keeping his guard up. The humans and monsters observing the battle were all surprised by this revelation, though many had looks of dawning comprehension.

"What do you mean?" Heinrich asked, doing his best to sound innocent. "I thought that the previous Monster Lord, Alice the Seventh, was assassinated by a human? Are you saying that you had something to do with that?"

"N-No, that was – I mean…"

"And recently, I've heard of Black Alice's most trusted subordinates dying, supposedly in battle with humans," Heinrich continued. "Yet it always sounded strange… just a little too convenient for certain people… would you happen to know anything about that?"

Leviathan looked around desperately, but it was clear that she had no allies here. Even if there were any present who still agreed with her ideology, none would dare support her in this situation. Then she looked back at Heinrich, and her eyes widened.

Heinrich dashed forward and thrust his flaming sword into Leviathan's chest, burning her from the inside out.

"Damn… you…" Leviathan said, in a voice too weak for anyone other than Heinrich to hear. "To know of our secrets… So you two… were working together… after all…"

Heinrich didn't reply to these words. He withdrew his sword and allowed Leviathan to collapse to the ground. Once there were no more signs of life from the sea dragon's body, he raised his left arm.

The onlookers cheered so loudly that the earth shook.

Over the next few minutes, Heinrich conversed with the crowd and assuaged their fears about him. The Kyoryuu – who was apparently named Terra – woke up partway through and nearly attacked him again, but her fellow citizens of Hellgondo managed to convince her to stand down.

However, there was one problem remaining. Neither Alice nor her sister had left the Monster Lord's Castle, even though the battle had already ended. This was definitely not part of the plan.

 _There's no way she could betray us at this point,_ Heinrich thought. _What could she even do in this situation, and what would she possibly stand to gain?_

The spirits were just as lost as he was. And there was no time for them to wait around discussing the issue: the nearby crowd was very vocal in their desire for Heinrich to enter the castle and slay the Monster Lord, hopefully rescuing her sister in the process.

 _Well, whatever's going on, there's only one way to find out,_ Sylph said.

 _That is correct,_ Undine added. _It is fitting that a hero enters the Monster Lord's Castle to end it all._

After announcing his intentions, Heinrich walked forward and stepped into the Monster Lord's Castle.

-ooo-

Even if part of it had been damaged, the oldest castle in the world was still a magnificent building. The interior was incredibly spacious, easily rivalling the San Ilia cathedral. A carpet of the deepest red adorned the floor. Lighting came from a massive array of gems set into the walls and ceiling. Though there were also numerous signs of people leaving in a rush: half-eaten food abandoned on the floor, furniture knocked over, countless footprints.

Heinrich concealed his presence – one didn't get through a war without a healthy degree of caution – and proceeded slowly.

The first floor of the castle contained the entrance hall, the kitchen, the baths, servants' quarters and storage rooms. The kitchen was filled with a larger variety of foods than Heinrich had ever seen before, along with several large stoves powered by fire magic. The baths featured a pool big enough to swim in, fed by water with the distinct scent of a hot spring. The servants' quarters were relatively normal, apart from the large doors and other features to accommodate monsters. All were empty of people.

Beneath this was a basement floor, containing the dungeons as well as more storage rooms. The dungeons were empty – the prisoners must have been freed and left the castle along with the rest. And, unlike in the rumours, there weren't any skeletons or dried bloodstains on the walls.

Next was the second floor, containing the nobles' quarters, the library and the treasury. Again, there was nobody else on this floor. If he'd come at a better time, Heinrich would have stopped in the library – even if he wasn't the most scholarly of people, there were books here that couldn't be found anywhere else in the world. But when Heinrich neared the northern part of the floor, he sensed a powerful presence emanating from above. It felt familiar… but with all the enchanted stone in the way, he couldn't be certain who it belonged to.

Heinrich arrived at a corridor that led to a single grand staircase. Along the walls of the corridor were a series of paintings displaying past Monster Lords. At the start of the corridor was a painting of Alice VIII. But she wasn't shown in the appearance that he was familiar with: she was wearing a frilly blue dress that didn't fit someone of her age, and her face bore a smile that could only be described as twisted.

The young hero turned away, unable to look at it any longer.

 _They all look different,_ Heinrich thought, as he passed by the other paintings. _That one looks like she could be a harpy, that one a slime… if it wasn't for the names underneath, you wouldn't realise that they're all part of the same family. In the past… she told me about this, but I didn't really understand what that meant until now._

At the end of the corridor was the painting for the progenitor of the line: Alipheese Fateburn I, the Dark Goddess. She was far larger than any of her descendants, to the point that her painting was over twice as wide as theirs. She had the basic form of a purple-scaled and -skinned lamia, but with several flowers and a pair of long curved horns growing from her head. Silvery-white hair draped over her shoulders and down to her waist. She was naked aside from several necklaces and a simple golden crown.

 _The creator of all monsters, and her direct ancestor. I wonder what… no, now's not the time for this._

Heinrich reached the end of the corridor and ascended the staircase. As a final precaution, he called on the power of the spirits once more: cloaking himself in wind, reinforcing his body with earth, calming his mind with water, and igniting his sword with fire. He pushed open a pair of doors and stepped through.

Inside was a cavernous room. At the end opposite the door was a throne, and on this throne sat the person he was looking for.

Alice was wearing a blue dress and in human form like in her painting. But when Heinrich approached, she stood up and her lower body expanded, transformed into a giant mound of mouths, arms, legs, wings, tentacles, vines and roots. An aura of overflowing darkness filled the room. Alice's expression remained unchanged; she looked perfectly casual, even friendly, as though she was simply welcoming a guest.

"Welcome to my castle, human hero," Alice said. "You've managed to defeat quite a few of my cute subordinates. It's been fun watching you fight your way here, but now your luck's come to an end. Now that you've run into me, the one and only Monster Lord, there's no way I'm letting you go."

 _Huh? What exactly is she trying to do?_ Sylph wondered.

 _Has she finally cracked?_ Salamander suggested. _It wouldn't be a surprise, considering everything she's been through._

 _Have you no sense of tact, you hot-headed fool?_ Undine retorted. _That said… I believe that she is still acting, but I do not know why._

Gnome remained silent, but she offered him a feeling of encouragement.

Heinrich didn't answer at first. He simply walked towards the throne. But he wasn't thinking about what to do, for he'd already decided that in Remina.

After two years of fighting, he'd had enough. He wanted to settle down… and spend as long as it took to repair their relationship.

"Cut it out, Alice," Heinrich said, in a quiet voice that was nearly drowned out by the wind. "There's no one around to hear."

"Still, it would be a horrible waste to just kill someone as cute as you here," Alice continued. "Oh, I know! If you manage to last at least a minute against me, I'll think about keeping you as my toy. You'll be like Beary here!" She suddenly pulled out a teddy bear from underneath her dress, shaking it so that the bear seemed to be waving at the hero. "It'll be fun! We'll go on walks together, and have tea parties every day, and the three of us will sleep in the same bed…"

A decidedly un-childlike smile appeared on Alice's face. She crawled, slithered and oozed closer to the hero, tentacles twisting about in a seemingly eager fashion.

 _…Okay, I'm pretty sure she has cracked,_ Salamander said.

Heinrich clenched his fist but still didn't attempt to fight. On the contrary, he released the power of the spirits and said, "Enough. You don't have to act anymore."

A few seconds passed, then the façade vanished. Alice shrank her lower body back to its previous state. She then ran towards Heinrich and leaped forcefully at him.

The two wrapped their arms around each other in a loving embrace. Heinrich didn't realise until now just how much he'd missed this simple action.

"Honestly," Alice mumbled into Heinrich's ear. "Do you have any idea how long I was waiting?"

"Who was the one who left me to fight through half of Hellgondo alone?" Heinrich retorted, though Alice pretended not to hear.

The two of them remained like this for a while, simply enjoying each other's presence again. Eventually, Heinrich broke the silence.

"Well, it's been a long road getting to here, but it's finally over. Now, we can relax– "

As he said that, Heinrich felt a faint but unmistakeable trembling. He looked at Alice, concerned.

"Ah, I just remembered," Alice said quietly, her eyes downcast. "There's still one more thing you have to do. It isn't over yet."

"What?" Heinrich said. "I don't understand. Don't tell me there's more?"

Alice shook her head, then pushed Heinrich away, a sad smile on her face.

"It's simple. You still need to kill me."

Heinrich and the spirits were caught off guard by these words.

"I know… it isn't what I promised before, but this is the best way," Alice said. "If the world is to truly find peace… the Monster Lord who threw it into war needs to be killed.

"What – that's – it can't be!" Heinrich said. "Didn't you see what I did outside? I got Leviathan to admit to her group's assassination of your mother, now everyone knows that the reason for this war is a lie!"

"That helps a lot, but it isn't enough," Alice said. "The average person, whether human or monster, knows me as the one who originally made the declaration… and as the one who tortured and killed hundreds for her own amusement."

"But that's… even if that's what they think, you said it before, there's a history of people in your position being imprisoned for life, not killed!" Heinrich said.

"That's true… but I didn't tell you the whole truth back then," Alice replied. "For every one of those cases, there's three more when the tyrant was killed, either by assassination or execution. It's like Tamamo said, a leader who goes too far invites hatred and can't expect a peaceful death."

Heinrich shook his head incessantly, trying with all his might to deny the reality before him. But Alice didn't retract her words.

 _How come I didn't realise this before?_ Heinrich thought. _I never tried researching this aspect of history on my own, not once in the past two years. Was I – was I afraid of facing the truth?_

 _She must have been planning this… ever since our last meeting,_ Undine said.

 _W-Wait, it can't end like this!_ Sylph protested. _There's no way you're going to kill her, right, Heinrich?_

 _I don't like it, but… I see her point,_ Salamander said. _We've all seen what the people want, and they want her dead. If she's accepted it as well, then –_

 _No, there has to be another way!_ Sylph insisted.

Heinrich put his hands on Alice's shoulders and pleaded, "Isn't there any other option?"

"No, there isn't," Alice said, closing her eyes in a futile effort to stop the tears streaming from them. "I've thought about this for months. This is the option that's best for everyone."

"What do – what do your sister and Edina think of this?" Heinrich asked.

Alice laughed ruefully. "I haven't told them. I was too much of a coward for that. I put Dinah to sleep, just after you came here, and moved her into a room over there."

Alice gestured to a door on her left. She gently pushed Heinrich's hands away and lowered her head.

"I'm sorry… for making you do this. Will you go along with my selfishness one last time?"

Heinrich remained still for a few moments. He then raised his sword and began gathering the power of the four elements into it, one by one.

Alice kept her head down, accepting her fate.

Heinrich turned to the left and brought his sword down, unleashing a Quadruple Giga almost as powerful as the one he'd used to break the castle's defences. The mass of energy blasted through the wall and through several more behind it, causing the entire castle to tremble.

"There, that should convince them," Heinrich said to a very surprised, and very much alive, Alice.

* * *

 _AN: And now, at last, we have finally made it to the time of the prologue. It's a little different from the actual prologue – this is because this story ended up going in a different direction from my original plans and there was no way to make the scene exactly the same._

 _As some of you have been hoping, this story will indeed have a happy ending._

 _The next few chapters will each be released as whole chapters rather than split into three parts as I've been doing recently._


	35. Chapter 34: Normal End 1

_AN: In hindsight, I_ really _shouldn't have included that Author's Note at the end of the last chapter._

 _If you want a fully happy ending, I recommend skipping this chapter and the next one and going straight to Chapter 36 (once I release it)._

 _If you want to read on… just bear in mind that when I said this story would have a happy ending, I didn't tell the whole truth (visual novel fans will immediately figure out what I mean from the chapter title)._

* * *

"What… What are you doing?" Alice asked, her eyes wide.

"What does it look like?" Heinrich said. "I'm not going to kill you. Not today, not tomorrow, never!"

These words elicited loud cheers from Sylph, and more subdued but still approving responses from the other three spirits.

"But it has to be done!" Alice insisted. "The people won't accept anything other than the hero killing the tyrannical Monster Lord!"

Alice trembled. "But there's no other option – "

"There is," Heinrich said. "The people don't need the Monster Lord to be dead, they only need to _believe_ that. In that case, all we have to do is fake your death! And with all that damage to the castle, they'll definitely believe that I killed you in battle!"

"That's – but someone will find out, once they investigate – "

"Then all we have to do is spread a little of your blood over the rubble," Heinrich said. "They'll all think that my attack was powerful enough to – well, vaporise most of you, leaving almost nothing behind. Nobody will suspect a thing."

Alice lowered her head and said nothing for a few moments.

"That might work. But… I don't deserve it. I've killed too many people, created a rift between humans and monsters that will take decades to heal. I can't be the only one to get a happy ending."

 _Argh, why won't she accept it?_ Sylph grumbled.

Gnome reached out to Sylph… and, rather than slapping her, held her hand in a reassuring manner.

 _Considering that she has not only caused immense suffering to the world, but has also lost her friends as well, it is no surprise,_ Undine said.

 _And she must have spent a long time preparing herself, convincing herself that she had to do this,_ Salamander said. _It won't be easy for her to change her mind._

Heinrich sheathed his sword and approached Alice.

"You wanted me to go along with your selfishness, right?" Heinrich said. "Sorry, but I refuse. Instead, I want you to go along with _my_ selfishness."

It was only after he'd said these words that Heinrich realised how foolish they sounded. But he couldn't stop now.

"You said that you should die because everyone wants you dead, but that's not true," Heinrich said. "I don't want you dead, Edina doesn't, and while I haven't met her yet, I don't think your sister does either."

Heinrich got down on his knees and held Alice's hands.

"So please… don't do this."

Alice remained silent for a few tense seconds. Finally, she gave an exasperated sigh.

"You really aren't trying to play fair, are you?"

"I'm doing everything I possibly can to convince you to live, of course I'm not going to play fair," Heinrich retorted.

Alice kneeled down and embraced Heinrich again. It felt even better than before, with no more secrets to get in between them.

"Thank you," Alice said softly.

They remained in this state for what felt like several minutes. Eventually, of course, they had to separate. The crowd outside would become suspicious if Heinrich didn't emerge soon, and it would be rude to leave Dinah unconscious for any longer than necessary. There was just one last issue to solve – how to get Alice out of the castle without anyone realising she was still alive – but that would be easy enough to solve with their combined capabilities.

"The best way would probably be for me to hide inside the size-shifting cabinet," Alice suggested. "You can carry it out and open it up in a safe location."

Heinrich agreed with this idea. He reached towards the pouch on his left thigh, where he kept the cabinet in its shrunken form.

Then Heinrich's sword and armour glowed with white light.

The next few moments were a confused blur. First, Heinrich felt his body move against his will, with his hand grasping the hilt and drawing the sword. Then he swung the sword, slicing through Alice's throat, spraying the floor with blood.

 _What the hell is – what am I doing!?_ Heinrich thought frantically.

 _This is - holy energy!?_ Undine answered. _Heinrich, you have to clear your mind and call my power, that's the only way to –_

But it was too late for this knowledge to do any good. Controlled by the will of another, Heinrich could only watch in horror as he swung the sword again and again, even after Alice had collapsed.

The control finally ended. Heinrich threw the sword away and tore off his armour, then called on the spirits and desperately tried to heal Alice. He tried knitting her flesh back together using water, sealing her wounds using poultices of earth and, when these failed, cauterising her wounds using fire. It was all useless. She continued losing blood at an alarming pace, her breathing grew ever weaker.

 _Why – why isn't anything working!?_ Heinrich thought.

 _It's the holy energy, it's entered her system and is reacting with her own dark energy to destroy her from the inside out,_ Undine explained. _With this much holy energy… there's no way to save her._

 _It can't be…. after everything that's happened, there's no way it can end like this!_ Sylph asked.

 _No…_ Heinrich thought, seizing on even the slimmest of possibilities. _If I go out and tell the people outside, get their help –_

 _There's no way you can do that!_ Salamander said. _Even if that was actually an option, it wouldn't help! Only someone who can control holy energy can heal this kind of wound, only angels and human followers of Ilias can do that, and there aren't any here! Even if they were, they wouldn't help a Monster Lord! You have to give up!_

Heinrich refused to heed these words and resumed his efforts at healing… only for a bloody hand to grasp his.

"Alice!?" Heinrich said. "Just stay still, I'll definitely – "

 _It's my fault… I should have known that it was just too good to be true…_ Alice said telepathically. _Stumbling across meteor equipment in old ruins… it's the kind of thing that only happens in stories…_

"No, it's not your fault, I was the one who accepted it!" Heinrich said. "Anyway, just hold on, we can definitely get through this!"

 _It… was fun… Heinrich… Thank you… for believing in me…_

"No… No!"

Heinrich held Alice in his arms. If he could have traded his life in return for her living one more day, he would have done so gladly. But the Reaper could not be denied.

The telepathic link disappeared. Then Alice stopped breathing, and her heart ceased to beat.

Heinrich continued cradling the body, tears flowing down his cheeks.

There were footsteps and then the bang of a door slamming open. Heinrich lifted his head just enough to see that a monster had entered the room. She bore a distinct resemblance to the late Monster Lord, though her hair was platinum blonde, she had a pair of insectoid arms underneath her humanoid ones, and she wore a black evening dress. And she was looking at the scene with a mixture of horror and rage.

"You – you actually went through with it!?" Dinah Fateburn shouted, charging at Heinrich.

The Four Spirits materialised and interposed themselves between Heinrich and Dinah. They began saying something to her, but Heinrich didn't pay any attention to this conversation.

-ooo-

With the death of Alipheese "Black Alice" Fateburn VIII, her younger sister ascended to the throne with no opposition, becoming the Monster Lord Alipheese Fateburn IX. She immediately ordered a cessation of hostilities and began peace talks with the humans nations. A few on each side continued to fight, but deprived of support they were easily dealt with.

Then there was the slow and arduous process of rebuilding. Since it was the late Monster Lord who had declared war, the human nations had demanded that Hellgondo pay reparations. But then the truth of what had happened in the Ilias continent in the war's preceding days came to light. Members of the priesthood had claimed to receive visions of Ilias, causing them to incite their flock into attacking monsters. While this was not justification for war on its own, it did limit the demands that humanity could make of monsterkind.

In the end, the humans captured by the monster forces – those that were still alive – were released. All monsters who'd fought in the war were required to rebuild the villages and towns that they'd destroyed. Some of these, having become dissatisfied with the Monster Lord, chose to break away and either integrate with humans or form their own isolated enclaves.

One notable event was the effective expulsion of monsters from the city of Sabasa. The new king was the opposite of his predecessor in many ways, and this was most apparent in his treatment of monsters. Under his policies, rebuilding efforts were focused on parts of the city that were solely or primarily inhabited by humans, and only human refugees were allowed into the city. It wasn't long before the few remaining monsters decided to leave, the elves and fairies moving to an island off the west coast of Safina while the remainder scattered throughout the desert. This attracted the disapproval of the other nations, but no major action was taken as all were still exhausted from the war.

Of course, the brave hero who'd slain the previous Monster Lord wasn't forgotten. Every single faction tried to get him to ally with them, typically through an offer of marriage. It was only natural, considering that he held the power to literally change the course of history.

If he was in a normal state of mind, Heinrich would have carefully considered the advantages and disadvantages of each offer, eventually settling on the option that was most beneficial to the world.

But after _her_ death, Heinrich was a broken man. Despite the best efforts of the spirits, he could no longer bring himself to care about anything. He therefore chose the most expedient option.

-ooo-

 _Everything looks fine now, doesn't it?_

It was now late spring. Heinrich was sitting in a room on the second floor of Remina Castle, looking out the window at the bustling city below.

 _Yeah, everything's back to the way it should be,_ Sylph said. _So, umm… why don't you try going out and experiencing it for yourself?_

 _Thanks for the suggestion, Sylph,_ Heinrich replied. _I might do that later. Now… I need to fulfil my duty._

Heinrich turned around and sat down on the large bed in the room. The Four Spirits materialised and slipped out of the room, leaving him to wait in silence for several minutes.

Edina, princess of Remina and his newlywed wife, stepped into the room. This time, she wasn't wearing a travelling outfit nor a formal dress fit for royalty. Instead, she was wearing a dress of black silk that exposed more skin than it covered.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Edina asked.

"I'm fine now, sorry for being a bother," Heinrich replied.

Edina placed her hands on her hips. "Look, you don't have to lie to spare my feelings. If you're not ready for this, you don't have to do anything."

"And do the nobles agree with that?" Heinrich asked.

"They don't hold anywhere near as much power as they think they do," Edina said. "My father and I have put in a lot of effort to make sure of that. There's a dozen excuses we can come up with to keep them at bay. It helps that you're a famous hero who – as far as most people are concerned – singlehandedly ended a war, so they can't afford to do anything that makes you angry."

"That may be the case, but it would be best to give them what they want as soon as possible," Heinrich said. "I might not have a royal education, but I know that it's a bad idea to antagonise one's subjects more than needed."

"Don't try to distract me," Edina said. "Are you really okay with this?"

Heinrich looked directly at the princess and said, "I am. You don't need to worry."

Edina closed her eyes. "Then I guess we'd better start, then."

Hero and princess joined each other on the bed.

The marriage of the hero to the crown princess of Remina, a city on the continent of monsters, had raised the eyebrows of some, but it was far from the worst option available. It demonstrated to all that the people of Hellgondo were not simply ruthless warmongers and that any who wished to continue the war would have to deal with him.

And of course, a royal marriage needed to produce an heir to continue the line.

-ooo-

Edina opened her eyes. Beside her was Heinrich, sleeping soundly.

 _The world is at peace, and I'm with the man I love, who's also starting to recover,_ Edina thought. _But it should never have happened this way._

Slowly, to avoid waking him up, Edina slipped out of bed and walked over to the window. It was now midnight, though Remina was still filled with activity due to the many nocturnal monsters.

 _A victory without her around… doesn't feel like one at all._

Edina thought back to when she and Alice had first met. Back then, she had been a timid and withdrawn little girl. She was brought along to the Monster Lord's Castle, her first time going outside of Remina, and was scared by the prospect of meeting so many powerful monsters. But Alice had come to her rescue, introducing her to her friends and showing her around the castle. And that was simply the start. Without her, Edina would never have become the person she was today.

 _And how have I repaid her for that? By smiling as I have fun with her lover and live on, while she's dead and everyone thinks she's the worst tyrant in history. Meanwhile the one ultimately responsible for this is safe up in the sky, still with hundreds of thousands of people worshipping her._

Edina sighed and clenched her fists.

 _'The world is not inherently fair. It is the duty of an ideal ruler to rectify this'…That's what father said to me when I was a child. But I've never encountered anything as horrifically unfair as this. What can even be done to fix this situation?_

While Edina was lost in thought, she felt someone trying to form a telepathic link with her. She recognised who it was – the two of them had communicated frequently ever since her coronation.

 _Edina, come meet me in the parlour, tell no one other than your parents or husband,_ Alice IX said.

It was clear that the Monster Lord was here with important news. Edina glanced at Heinrich, but decided to let him sleep for now – he'd had to deal with enough already. She went to a cabinet, took out a servant's dress and her disguising amulet and put them on. She checked to make sure that there were no actual servants near the room, then stepped out and headed down to the parlour.

Alice IX was already sitting in the parlour. She looked even more stressed than at her coronation – having to act as Monster Lord in the aftermath of a war, while also dealing with the death of her sister, was a burden that would have already broken most people. But she wasn't alone in the room.

A nine-tailed kitsune was also present. The number of tails, even in isolation, would have alerted Edina due to the power it implied. But her golden hair and fur, green eyes, elaborate kimono, the fan held in her hand, all matched the description of someone mentioned in Alice's reports, someone singlehandedly responsible for defending Yamatai's neutrality during the war.

"Greetings, Princess Edina," Tamamo said, inclining her head. "I apologise for visiting at such a late hour."

"It is no trouble at all," Edina said, removing her amulet and sitting down. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Tamamo took a sip of tea. "It's a sensitive subject, one that would stir even this weary world back into war if revealed. To begin with, I wasn't curled up in Yamatai for the entirety of this war. After I burnt the vampires who tried attacking, I decided to leave the village in secret and investigate the reasons why the war began in the first place, trusting the villagers to defend against any further attacks."

Edina listened intently. She'd always thought that something was odd about the rapid rise in human-monster tensions preceding the war. An age-old tactic was sending agents into a country to rile it up and give your own country reason to fight. It was likely that one or both sides of the recent conflict had done this.

"What I discovered was… that this war was incited by those who did not fight in it themselves, Ilias and her angels," Tamamo said, taking out and holding up a pure white feather.

These words caused Edina to gasp in shock, though Alice IX merely grimaced.

"How could she – I mean, I know she controlled Heinrich into killing Alice the Eighth, but to start a war that would lead to the deaths of so many humans as well?" Edina said. "Is she truly a hypocrite of that magnitude?"

"By her standards, this is relatively restrained," Tamamo replied. "And even if she hadn't been responsible for starting the war, she would still be responsible for letting it continue. She offers humans aid by letting them tap into holy magic – if they worship her – and no more."

Edina had to take several deep breaths to calm herself. She wasn't a follower of Ilias herself – few in Remina were, for obvious reasons – but she'd encountered many of them in her travels, seen countless examples of how their faith led them to work for the benefit of others. To think it was also based on a lie…

"Thank you for telling us this information," Alice IX said. "However… there is one question I wish to ask of you. All of my investigations, as well as those of previous Monster Lords, have failed to uncover your background – as far as anyone knows, you've always been living in Yamatai. But just who are you?"

Tamamo opened her fan, partially covering her face. "Hmm. Whenever I was asked that before, I always deflected it with something like 'It's rude to ask a lady her age'. But you won't fully trust me unless I tell you. You probably won't even if I do… but very well."

Tamamo stood up and took out a small black stone. "This is low-purity nullstone. It's rarely used nowadays, as most of the deposits have been mined out. In the old days, the high-purity form was used to make restraints and cells that prevented use of magic. This isn't strong enough for that, but when in contact with my skin it soaks up the majority of my aura. This should keep anyone outside this room from sensing what I'm about to do."

 _Is she planning on unsealing herself?_ Edina wondered. _Some powerful monsters, usually those with pasts that they'd prefer to forget, do that._

"I ask thee, eternal time... My body, shackled by the powers of creation, I beseech thee. Return my true body to me!" Tamamo chanted.

A flash of light filled the room. When Edina's vision returned, Tamamo no longer had the build of a girl but of a grown woman, with long limbs and wicked curves. She was much taller, to the point that even if the other two were standing, she would still tower over them. While she'd previously given off the impression of a child who needed protection, she now seemed like a queen – no, an empress, someone who must be obeyed.

"My true identity is Tamamo-no-Mae, one of the Six Ancestors, Mother of Beasts," Tamamo said. "Now do you believe what I have to say?"

"…Yes," Alice IX said in a small voice.

"Definitely," Edina said. "But… if I may ask, why have you been hiding all this time? According to the history we're taught, the Six Ancestors and the Dark Goddess disappeared suddenly at the end of the Great Monster Wars…"

Although she'd asked this question, Edina feared the answer. While it was true that modern monsters owed their existence to the Six Ancestors… the stories about them were horrifying.

"A good question," Tamamo said. "First, I'll answer the question you didn't ask: yes, we were indeed tyrants who treated humans as playthings – if anything, the legends downplay what we were like. I've changed since then, but it's a part of monster culture that should remain buried."

There was another flash of light and Tamamo returned to her previous state. She sat back down.

"I can return to my true form only briefly," Tamamo explained. "As for your original question… you know that, towards the end, the monster side was winning?"

Edina nodded, followed shortly after by Alice IX.

"It was a case of quantity triumphing over quality… the average angel is stronger, faster, tougher and more magical than the average monster, and the three Seraphs were individually superior to me and my sisters," Tamamo said, "but we outnumbered them greatly even from the start, and could replenish our losses far more easily. Eventually my mother, the Dark Goddess Alipheese the First, cornered Ilias at the region that you now know as the Navel of the World. Under normal circumstances, she would have won – and humanity would have remained oppressed by monsters, though I digress – but we underestimated the depths to which Ilias was willing to sink."

"What… did she do?" Alice IX asked.

"Both my mother and Ilias are beings of unfathomable power, capable of reshaping the landscape and altering the weather," Tamamo said. "A battle between them would have destroyed the entire world. My mother believed that Ilias would understand her inferior position and surrender, for the sake of her humans and angels. But she did not. Ilias threatened to fight my mother with her full power, even if it meant destroying the world."

Edina and Alice IX already had strong reasons to hate Ilias, but this revelation managed to increase their hatred further.

"Using literally the entire world as a hostage, Ilias forced her enemies to accept an… unfavourable proposal," Tamamo said. "She wanted my mother, my sisters and I to seal ourselves away, promising that she would not harm monsters further if we did. With no other option, we complied. That is why we are no longer around to lead our kind."

Tamamo finished off her tea, her eyes distant.

"Of course, we weren't foolish enough to take Ilias at her word, so we thought of two countermeasures," Tamamo continued. "The first was to design the seal so that if a large quantity of dark energy – such as that released by a mass death of monsters – enters the atmosphere, the seal is released. This would prevent Ilias from attempting to wipe out monsters in our absence. The second was for me to create a smaller, weaker body outside of my own seal. I won't bore you with the details, but this seal is intended for beings of great power and cannot restrain the weak, creating a loophole that I could exploit. In this form, I could watch over the world and make sure that Ilias kept to our agreement."

"So she knows about you not being sealed?" Edina asked.

"Naturally – this form doesn't just look like a younger version of myself, it also wears the same clothing that I did when I was still acting as an Ancestor," Tamamo said. "She is undoubtedly irritated at my exploiting this loophole, but since I kept to the remote region of Yamatai and stayed out of world affairs, she didn't do anything… until now."

"Why would Ilias do this?" Alice IX asked. "From what you've said, she can't afford to let too many monsters die at once. Then why would she start a war between monsters and humans… and go out of her way to have my sister killed?"

"That's something I'm less certain about," Tamamo said. "However, I am sure of this: Ilias, whatever her faults, is no fool. She would not go to such lengths, risking the seal being broken, unless she had something to gain – "

Suddenly, Tamamo and Alice IX stood and looked alarmed.

"What is it?" Edina asked, unable to sense what they had. Then the worst possibility came to her mind. "Don't tell me – Heinrich!"

"There's someone flying away from here at great speed," Tamamo said. "I'd recognise that wind anywhere – only one contracted with Sylph can control wind with such skill."

Edina jumped to her feet and tried to contact her new husband via telepathy. She failed and, judging from the looks on their faces, the same was true of the two monsters in the room.

"He's blocking us out… and if the stories of his prowess are true, no monster in this age can catch up to him," Tamamo said. "In hindsight, we shouldn't have held this discussion anywhere he could potentially eavesdrop on – "

"You have to do something – aren't you one of the Six Ancestors!?" Edina demanded frantically.

"Unfortunately – I can't do anything to help him," Tamamo said, lowering her head. "Even if there wasn't the risk of incurring Ilias' wrath, I could not catch up to him even with my true power. Minagi or Saja could do it, but…"

"I'll – I'll try contacting some of my agents near his probable destinations," Alice IX said, "they might be able to stop him…"

Edina collapsed in her chair and held her head in her hands.

-ooo-

Heinrich flew through the bone-chilling air of Hellgondo, heading eastward.

 _I can't believe that phony Goddess was so – so evil!_ Sylph exclaimed. _We can't let her get away with this!_

Gnome said nothing, but the fury emanating from her required no words to express it.

 _The four of us may have lived during the Great Monster Wars, yet even we never knew what happened to the monster progenitors…_ Undine said, though her expression contradicted her calm tone. _Heinrich… I will make no attempt to rein you in. For this, you have my full support. Let us end the tyranny of the goddess of light!_

 _While I'm as fired up for this as you, be careful, Heinrich,_ Salamander advised. _You won't be able to take on all Heaven' armies by yourself. You should find an opening and break through, then hide and attack them from the shadows. I haven't seen angels fight in five hundred years, so I can't really give you any more help than that. But you've got us on your side. Let's burn them to ashes!_

Heinrich searched the landscape until he found an empty plain that was barren even by Hellgondo's standards. He scanned the surroundings to make sure that no monsters lived nearby, then landed.

He drew the sword from his scabbard. It wasn't the cursed sword "gifted" to him by Ilias' agent – that was now sealed in the deepest vault of the Monster Lord's Castle – but the orichalcum sword that Alice had given him, back when she was still named "Mary". The sword may have been broken, the last quarter of the blade missing – but it suited his purposes just fine.

Back in Remina Castle, Heinrich had woken up and used his magical senses to search for Edina, finding her in a room with the new Monster Lord and an old acquaintance. They had put up spells to prevent outsiders from listening in – a basic security measure – but it wasn't enough to stop the current him. And hearing about the true extent of Ilias' actions had released certain suppressed memories, restored his will to take action. He'd taken up his old sword and flown out the window of the room.

Now he was ready to avenge Alice and make the true mastermind pay for their crimes.

There was just one last preparation to make.

 _Everyone… thanks for all the help you've given me. Goodbye._

Heinrich broke off his contracts with the Four Spirits, cutting off their objections. He immediately doubled over – the sudden loss of their power felt like having his limbs severed and all of his senses blocked. After a few minutes, he recovered and stood back up.

The Four Great Spirits were the mightiest of their kind, immortal beings that surpassed normal monsters… but in a battle with one of the two creator goddesses, they would definitely be killed.

 _This isn't a righteous battle to save the world… it's just my own revenge. I can't let anyone else get hurt for my sake._

 _Sorry for leaving you a widow already, Edina…_

But even without the power of the spirits, Heinrich was far from helpless. He focused his mind until it entered a serene state. The power of water was not strictly necessary to achieve a serene mind, but it made it easier and increased the benefits.

Now ready, Heinrich raised his head to the sky and shouted, "Come here, Ilias! I know you're listening!"

The young man's words resounded through the empty landscape. There was no response.

"I know what you've done! Not just starting a war between humans and monsters, I remember what you tried to do to me! You entered my dream and tried to plant the idea of killing Alice in my mind, then erased my memories of it! But after hearing Tamamo talk about you, I remembered!

"You call yourself a goddess? You're nothing but a powerless coward, using others to do your dirty work!"

Suddenly, seven rays of light appeared, shining down on the ground in a circle around Heinrich. The rays intensified and then vanished, leaving behind seven figures who could only be angels. They each had a pair of white wings extending from their back and a golden halo floating above their head. They wore garments of pure white and carried silver swords. Waves of holy energy emanated from them.

"You dare insult the great Goddess Ilias!?" one of the angels shouted, pointing her sword at Heinrich. "You may be the hero who slew a Monster Lord, but that is an unforgivable – "

Heinrich didn't give the angel time to finish. Following the optimal trajectory, he ran forward and sliced through the angel's throat. The jagged tip of his broken sword created a massive wound that bled profusely.

"What the – "

"How dare you!"

"Kill him!"

The angels attacked Heinrich… or rather, they attempted to do so. Their strength and speed were impressive, exceeding that of average monsters by a comfortable margin, but their skills were barely better than an amateur's. Even with the body of a human and the handicap of a broken sword, Heinrich easily slew all of them without suffering a single wound in return.

Once he was finished, Heinrich again shouted towards the sky, "Is that all you have? Is that the best the armies of Heaven have to offer? I've met children who fought better than that! Don't you give your angels proper training, Ilias? Or do you force them to spend all their time grovelling?"

After a few moments, more rays of light appeared, producing over thirty angels. They were better-equipped than the previous group, having armour, shields and a wider variety of weapons, and they immediately attacked Heinrich with beams of light… but it still wasn't enough for them to prevail.

Heinrich channelled mana through his body to strengthen and accelerate himself. It was orders of magnitude less effective than the power of the spirits, and wouldn't last nearly as long, but it was all he needed. He danced around the angels, felling each one with a single slash or stab, evading the beams using minimal movements, occasionally knocking one angel off balance to hinder her fellows.

It took Heinrich less than thirty seconds to kill all of the angels. He still hadn't received a single wound. He did feel a strange tingling all over his body, but he attributed it to using magic enhancement after a long period of neglecting it.

"Really, Ilias, this is just pathetic! Tamamo said that angels are individually superior to monsters, but I'm really starting to doubt that!"

This time a single huge ray of light appeared. The light didn't disappear – instead, it continued shining and flocks of angels emerged from it. Most resembled the previous ones, but a few were larger and had tentacles, vines, tails or other inhuman features. If it weren't for their halos and auras of holy energy, these could be mistaken for powerful monsters.

"Your blasphemy ends here!" one of the larger angels declared. "You may have defeated angels of the ninth circle, but now that we Archangels have taken to the field, you have no hope of victory!"

"Really?" Heinrich replied while glancing at some of the weaker angels, who looked scared. "Because it seems that not all of you agree."

The hero and the angel army clashed. And despite their superior numbers, despite their vastly greater power as individuals, it was the angels who were at a disadvantage.

The ninth circle angels fought fiercely at first, swinging their weapons and firing destructive beams. But as more of them fell, their morale plummeted. Some even broke and tried to flee, but that didn't stop Heinrich from cutting them down.

The Archangels were a greater challenge, being comparable to Queen-class monsters in power. Their light beams were much more destructive, leaving craters whenever they missed and struck the ground, and their inhuman anatomy gave them a variety of attacks such as whip strikes and poisonous breath. But none of it was new to Heinrich. With over two years of experience fighting monsters, he evaded these attacks and brought down the Archangels, one by one.

Throughout the chaotic battle, Heinrich felt his body heat up. It wasn't the normal heat of intense exertion, it was a completely different and novel sensation. He didn't pay attention to it initially, having more important things to worry about. But when the angels collectively broke and fled, screaming about a "true monster", he paused.

There was one angel left behind, an angel with shoulder-length white hair and red eyes. She backed away from Heinrich, her face filled with terror.

"No… stay away!" the angel cried.

Heinrich approached the angel, still keeping an eye on his surroundings.

"What's wrong, not used to a human who can fight back?" Heinrich said.

"You – you're not even human anymore!" the angel said.

Heinrich stopped. Logically, the angel was simply trying to distract him, either to let her escape or to make him vulnerable to an attack from her ally. But the fear in her words was genuine.

Heinrich looked down at his hands and sword to see that they had changed. They were now a deep-blue grey colour and their surfaces were uneven, like multiple objects of different shapes melted together.

"Interesting…" Heinrich muttered. "But whatever this is, it hasn't stopped me from moving or fighting. If anything, I feel… stronger than before."

Heinrich raised his sword, ready to finish off the angel.

"Flash Kill."

There was a sudden spike of pain. In the next instant, Heinrich found himself on the ground.

 _What the – but I didn't sense anyone!_

Heinrich heard someone walk up to him while humming cheerfully.

"You know, appearing in the nick of time to save the day isn't something I'm really suited for, but it actually feels pretty good."

Heinrich recognised that voice. It had been years since he'd last heard it, but the memory would never leave his mind.

"Hi there," the newcomer said, now standing over Heinrich. "I didn't introduce myself when we first met. I'm Lucifina, the second of the Seraphs. You don't have to introduce yourself, I already know your name."

Heinrich lifted his head just enough to see the one who'd defeated him. For one of the highest-ranking angels, she looked surprisingly normal: long brown hair, blue eyes, and a single pair of white wings. Her only clothing was a series of white ribbons wrapped around her body, and she carried a gleaming white sword in one hand.

 _It wasn't like I was expecting to succeed… but to be taken out so suddenly, and by someone who isn't even Ilias herself…_

"I know you're thinking something along the lines of 'How could I lose?'. Let me tell you, you wouldn't have even gotten close to the golden bitch," Lucifina said. "You're not a match for a Seraph – in fact, you're not even a match for one of the Six Ancestors. Hiruko and Saja would crush you, Kanade would dissolve you, Kanon would swallow you alive, Tamamo would manipulate you into killing your own family and then yourself – or she would, if she hadn't gotten soft – and Minagi would fuck you to death – though I suppose you'd enjoy that. The point is, you're a million years too early to be fighting the likes of me, little boy."

Heinrich examined his condition. _I have a large gash on my back – one that I can't possibly survive. But I can at least make sure that she doesn't walk away from here uninjured. I still have a hidden dagger…_

"You over there – what was your name again?" Lucifina asked.

"A-Ariel, Seraph Lucifina," the other angel replied.

"Well, Ariel, you can go back to Heaven," Lucifina said. "I'll handle things from here."

Ariel thanked her superior profusely – and fearfully, Heinrich noted, and disappeared into the huge ray of light.

"Now, back to you…" Lucifina said. "I see that you remember me. Have you figured out what I did to you yet?"

Heinrich didn't want to answer, but he did so to avoid making the Seraph suspicious. "You were Ilias' agent on the surface world. You followed us around, left the sword and armour for us to find, stirred up the trouble that led to the war."

"That's right," Lucifina admitted without a hint of shame. "It was incredibly tedious, following you two lovebirds around without being noticed… But more importantly, I was counting each of your kills earlier, you know how many you got?"

"I don't know…" Heinrich replied. "I didn't bother counting."

"Six hundred and sixty six!" Lucifina said. "What are the odds of a perfect number like that? I should try something like that next time – "

In a single motion, Heinrich drew his dagger and thrust it towards Lucifina's foot. The next thing he knew, his hand was being crushed by said foot.

"Come on, did you really think that would work?" Lucifina said.

"It… was worth a try…"

Heinrich's vision dimmed. His body grew cold.

"Hmm, you're dying already," Lucifina said. "I was expecting you to be a little tougher, but in the end you're still human. And if you're wondering what's happened to your body, it's overexposure to holy energy. It's possible to keep it at bay with enough strength of spirit, but holy energy erodes your flesh and, eventually, kills you. I've seen it happen before, it's a common fate for humans who try fighting angels."

By now, Heinrich could barely even hear the angel's words.

"As a little thanks for showing me something interesting, I'll give you a quick end."

There was a flash of a sword, and Heinrich's life ended.

-ooo-

In the end, the hero Heinrich's attempt at vengeance was crushed.

But that didn't mean that it had no impact at all.

Throughout his life, the hero had obtained many epithets to mark his countless achievements.

Monsters, and the humans aligned with them, called him "Heinrich, the Merciful".

Humans who loathed monsters called him "Heinrich, Bane of the Darkness".

And from this day onward, angels would call him "Heinrich, the Angel Killer".


	36. Chapter 35: Normal End 2

_AN: Repeating my previous warning, if you want to read a truly happy ending, skip this chapter._

* * *

In the very centre of Heaven, within the grand temple that bore her name, the Goddess Ilias sat atop a throne and hummed with satisfaction.

 _I had to intervene at the end but, on the whole, this plan was a resounding success._

Ever since the end of the Great Monster Wars, Ilias had been plagued by a growing feeling of frustration. She had failed in her goal of exterminating the parasites created by her archenemy. Moreover, said parasites had learned to put on a more benevolent façade to make humans abandon their rightful goddess. Every human who submitted to monsters felt like a personal insult to her.

 _But now that I've captured one of Alipheese's progeny, I can go through with this plan. No longer shall monsters run amok on my world._

 _It would have been… better if my hero had done as I wished. Perhaps if I had contacted him more than once, reminded him of what he should do… hmm, that may be worth remembering for the next time…_

Ilias shook her head and looked around. She was in a large room constructed of pure white marble and with large windows open to the outside. More than fifty angels, of various circles, were standing attentively. If Ilias gave them an order, they would immediately rush to fulfil it to the best of their ability.

 _If they complained for once, that might actually make things interesting – no, now is not the time to dwell on this topic. Now I must administer punishment to a certain sinner._

Ilias held out her hands, palms facing forward, and gathered holy energy between them.

Holy energy and dark energy were the two main forms of magical energy in the universe. Dark energy was associated with the material, especially living flesh – this was the reason for monsters being so varied in form compared to the other two races. In contrast, holy energy was associated with the spiritual – with the spirit and the soul. It was the reason for angels being immortal and requiring no sustenance to live. More importantly, it allowed Ilias to summon the souls of dead humans. She normally did this to the most faithful of humans, to give them their due reward… but now she was doing this for an entirely different purpose.

The spell was complete. Ilias released the holy energy, now in the shape of a perfect sphere, causing to float forward and slowly sink. When it touched the ground, the ball burst into motes of white light, leaving behind a human man with a translucent body.

The soul of Heinrich sat up, visibly confused at his situation. He looked at his body and then his surroundings. When he caught sight of Ilias, he jumped to his feet.

"Welcome to Heaven, brave hero," Ilias said, in the maternal tone she usually used when speaking to humans. "I am the Goddess Ilias, and I have brought you to my temple."

Screaming obscenities, Heinrich charged towards Ilias, apparently intending to fight her with his bare hands. Ilias didn't even have to move a finger – with a single thought, she conjured up a region of increased gravity that pinned Heinrich to the floor. The nearby angels were angered by the attempted attack, but Ilias raised a hand to order them to stay back.

"So you weren't satisfied with starting a war and forcing me to kill the woman I loved," Heinrich said. "Fine. Do your worst."

"You dare behave in such a way before the one true Goddess?" said one of the Archangels. "Goddess Ilias, allow us to punish this so-called hero for his insolence! Twenty thousand years of rape should be appropriate!"

"No, thirty thousand!" said one of the Virtues. "We must ensure that he is broken utterly!"

"No, that is too good for him!" said a Cherub. "He killed hundreds of our kin, he does not deserve even the slightest bit of pleasure! Instead, he – "

Ilias cleared her throat, causing all of the angels to immediately fall silent.

"Really, Heinrich, do you believe that I will do something so crass as torture you?" Ilias said.

"You've been doing an excellent job of it so far," Heinrich said.

"I have brought you here simply to clear up a misunderstanding," Ilias said. "But, if it reassures you, we may talk alone."

Recognising the implicit order, the angels left the room. They were not like human servants, who would object to leaving their ruler alone with an enemy – they were fully aware of Ilias' unmatched power.

With the two of them alone, Ilias released Heinrich from his invisible restraints. Heinrich stood up and made no further attempts to attack her, though he very clearly wanted to.

"Now then, are there any questions you would like to ask me?" Ilias said. "For example, would you like to know the reason behind my recent actions?"

Heinrich said nothing, but a slight flicker of his eyes betrayed his emotions.

"As you did not refuse, I'll consider that a 'yes'," Ilias said. "First of all, I know that you are aware of the outcome of the last war – I will not dignify it with the name used by most. You are aware that my dark counterpart and her first six creations are sealed away."

"Yeah… and I was actually surprised," Heinrich said. "I've seen quite a few atrocities, but I never thought that anyone would actually be willing to do what you did."

 _You know nothing – you did not see the human farms, or the fall of Babylon,_ Ilias thought. "And you are also aware that they will be unsealed if sufficient monsters die and release their dark energy. This has forced me to stay my hand for the past few centuries. But I have not been idle – I have spent every waking moment searching for a solution."

"When other people did their best to stop you from committing genocide, you looked for a way around it," Heinrich said, shaking his head. "Now I wonder why anyone ever worshipped you."

Ilias did her best to ignore these words. "Moving on, I needed to control the release of dark energy if I wished to exterminate monsters without compromising the seal. But as a being of pure holy energy, I cannot control darkness – not directly, at least. Only monsters are capable of doing so. And while it might be possible to manipulate a lesser monster into serving me, such monsters would be far too weak to control dark energy on the scale I need. Only the descendants of Alipheese herself can do that… but I could never convince any of them to serve me."

"Then – wait, you didn't!?"

"I believe you are aware that holy magic can be used to manipulate souls?" Ilias said. "However, there is one important limitation. I, and any angel, can manipulate the souls of humans with no issue, but the souls of monsters are another matter entirely. I won't bore you with the details, but the darkness of their bodies interferes with any attempt I make."

Heinrich submitted to his anger and charged at Ilias, who restrained him in the same manner as before.

"Allow me to finish my explanation," Ilias said firmly. "A few years ago, I thought of a solution. There is nothing inherently impossible about manipulating the soul of a dark-tainted being. If I could only inject my own holy energy into a monster, I could then take its soul. It would be more difficult than taking a human's soul, but not impossible. Of course, that led to the question of how I could accomplish such a thing. I spent decades watching the world, looking for an answer… and I found you."

Heinrich continued his futile struggles. He glared at Ilias, a mixture of hatred and despair on his face.

"A human who was close to a Monster Lord – and not one of the abominable traitors, like those on Hellgondo," Ilias said. "A human who had been raised to worship me. I watched you for months, eventually deciding that you were ideal for my purposes. I sent my second daughter, Lucifina, down to the surface world to observe you from a closer perspective, then to pass you a sword and armour that I'd infused with my own power, and finally to lay the seeds of conflict. When the war began, I told Lucifina to continue following you and – if necessary – to block any attempts by the Monster Lord to contact you. Though the monsters took care of that problem by themselves, freeing up Lucifina to do additional duties. I expected you to believe that the Monster Lord had changed, become someone that you had no choice but to kill."

"I… would never… if it wasn't for you…"

"But that part of my plan failed," Ilias said. "I watched your conversation in the Monster Lord's Castle for as long as possible, hoping you would understand… but alas, you chose to shirk your duty as a human and as a hero. Thus, I implemented my backup plan… and now I have the soul of a Monster Lord, for me to shape as I please."

"That won't work!" Heinrich shouted desperately. "Alice will never do as you say!"

Ilias laughed. She had been wondering how he would react when he learned the truth… but to think he was still so deluded about the true nature of monsters…

"If you don't believe me, observe."

Ilias raised a hand, distorting the light in a small area to produce an image of a distant location. It was a simple spell, one that even the lowest of angels knew.

The image displayed Alice VIII, surrounded by the withered corpses of a dozen humans and in the process of adding another to their number. It was a scene truly fitting for one who was called "Black Alice".

"When I brought her here, she was soon able to create a new body to house her soul – such is the utility of dark energy," Ilias said. "She is now indulging in her true desires."

"No… no, it's a lie!" Heinrich shouted. "You're just – you're just making that up! You think I'll fall for an illusion!?"

"I swear, on my name as the Goddess who created the world, that what I show you is the unadulterated truth," Ilias said. "But if you do not believe me…"

Ilias stood from her throne, grasped Heinrich by one arm and teleported. Rather than the audience room of the Ilias Temple, they were now in a mansion recently built on the outskirts of Heaven. Specifically, they were in the same room that Ilias had just shown to the hero.

Alice VIII stopped her current activity and looked up. "So you've decided to talk to me again, Ilias… and look what you've brought me!"

"Alice… Alice!" Heinrich said, foolishly trying to break away from his Goddess and run towards the Monster Lord. "You… what are you…"

"Hm? Why are you talking to me like that?" Alice said, looking at the hero in a way normally reserved for vermin. "Do you think that will make me give you a less painful death? Think again. For nearly killing me, I'll make you suffer for a long time – "

Alice writhed her tentacles menacingly. Some were covered in spikes, other in digestive fluids.

"You don't… remember me?" Heinrich said weakly.

"Unfortunately, I have not brought the hero here to be your toy," Ilias said. "This was merely a demonstration for his sake. I have something else planned for him. Aside from that, have you decided to accept my proposal yet?"

"I have, it sounds like it will be quite the experience," Alice replied. "It's a small price to pay for you saving my life."

Heinrich ceased his struggling entirely.

Ilias bade farewell to Alice, teleported back to the Ilias Temple, released Heinrich and returned to her throne.

"As you can see, I did not lie," Ilias said. "What you just saw is the true nature of monsters."

Heinrich shook his head, but with far less strength than his previous attempts at denial. "That can't be her… you must have gotten someone else, to pretend to be her…"

"That is unmistakeably the former Monster Lord, Alipheese Fateburn the Eighth," Ilias said. "You should know better than anyone what her aura feels like."

"It can't be…"

"Did you truly believe that she loved you?" Ilias said. "Only my creations, humans and angels, are capable of love. Alipheese' creations are twisted abominations who can do more than simulate love, as one of their many tools to lure human men so they can breed. As you have seen, she has already abandoned you and now fornicates with others."

Heinrich could no longer reply. He held his head in his hands and trembled. Now, no one would be able to look at him and call him a hero.

"I have told you the reasons for my actions," Ilias said. "Now it is time for your punishment. I will not kill you, hand you over to my angels, or do anything else so predictable. I will seal your soul away, isolated from any other person, allowing you to spend eternity remembering and reflecting on your sins."

Ilias called for her angels to re-enter the room. She ordered some of them to fetch her a large stone. When they returned with the stone, Ilias pushed Heinrich's soul into it and inscribed his name on the surface, sealing him within.

Ilias then closed her eyes and used her clairvoyance to scan the world for a suitable site. She decided on a set of ruins in the sparsely populated eastern region of Hellgondo. Fittingly, these ruins were close to the location where the hero had slaughtered so many of her angels. She ordered another group of angels to deliver the stone to the ruins and fix it in place.

Once the issue of the fallen hero was dealt with, Ilias relaxed on her throne.

 _It seems that Heinrich believed that._

In her previous conversation, Ilias hadn't revealed the full truth. She had indeed collected Alice VIII's soul, and Alice VIII was now acting just like her popular reputation, but she had neglected to mention the changes she'd made to the soul in between these events. She had removed many of the Monster Lord's memories, chiefly those about her positive interactions with family, friends or her lover, and inserted new ones to make her more agreeable to Ilias' desires. The process had taken more than a month, but it had ultimately been successful.

 _With a Monster Lord serving me, I can finally exterminate those damned monsters. But I can't do it yet… it will take time for her to learn how to control dark energy on the scale I need. If I begin too early, I risk releasing the Six Ancestors' Great Seal and losing everything. I must be patient. I've already waited five centuries, I can wait another five if that's necessary._

Ilias then recalled the recent battle between the hero and her angels. She'd expected the first wave to defeat him without sustaining any casualties – without the spirits, he was only human, after all. Instead, more were sent in and over six hundred were killed before Lucifina finally brought him down.

 _It will take centuries to replenish those losses. And then there's the other humans, and the monsters… To be sure of success, I must make my angels stronger. Their main disadvantage is their lower numbers compared to the humans and monsters. Even if one angel is stronger and faster than one monster, ten monsters can surround the angel and overwhelm her with a barrage of attacks._

 _But if I modify the angels, somehow make them invulnerable to any attack –_

Suddenly, an angel burst into the room. Ilias looked up, wondering who would be so bold as to enter unannounced, only to see that it was Eden – the third Seraph and the angel most loyal to her.

"T-Terrible news, Goddess Ilias!" Eden cried out.

Several possibilities flew through Ilias' mind – the hero escaping from his seal, the Monster Lord regaining her original personality, the Dark Goddess and Six Ancestors escaping their seal – but the answer proved to be none of them.

"It's Lucifina, she's – she's rebelled!" Eden said.

-ooo-

Micaela shot through the air of Heaven at a speed faster than sound.

When the lesser angels had told her what was happening, Micaela initially thought that they must have had nightmares. But the trail of burning buildings and unconscious angels was undeniable.

Micaela finally spotted her target near Heaven's Gate. However, said target passed through the gate, forcing Micaela to follow.

Now in the skies above the centre of Sentora, Micaela confronted her younger sister.

"Why are you doing this, Lucifina!?" Micaela shouted.

"Oh, you finally decided to catch up to me?" Lucifina replied. "The answer is easy: because I've had enough of that old hag!"

In one instant, Lucifina was hovering in mid-air and talking casually. In the next instant, she charged towards Micaela, sword aimed at her throat.

With skill honed by millennia of experience, Micaela deflected the sword with her spear. She was still shocked by the sudden attack from her sister.

"Have you completely lost your mind?" Micaela said. "What reason do you have to rebel?"

"If you want one reason, I'll give you five!" Lucifina said. "She keeps me from playing around as much as I want, she forces me to pretend to get along with other angels, she makes me do all the jobs she's too lazy to do, she doesn't actually care about me or anyone else and, above all else, she's a hypocrite who doesn't even have any principles!"

Lucifina accompanied each of her reasons with a vicious stab towards one of her opponent's vital points. Micaela parried them all, then produced an explosion of holy energy to knock her sister back.

"I know that you've had your grievances with Ilias!" Micaela said. "But you've kept them repressed all this time! Why are you doing this now!?"

Lucifina began firing a barrage of lasers, each powerful enough to vaporise a large boulder, forcing Micaela to devote her effort to dodging.

"You really need to ask that?" Lucifina said. "You should be the one rebelling here! You claim to love humans, so what are you doing about that Monster Lord!? The one who's eating them as we speak!"

"That's – Ilias said that she is necessary to – "

"'Ilias said this', 'Ilias said that' – think for yourself for once!" Lucifina shouted. "If she was just doing all that to get a Monster Lord killed, I'd be fine with that – but it's all to get a Monster Lord slave, and all so she can go ahead with her stupid plan to kill all monsters! I don't even like monsters and I'm still disgusted by that!"

Micaela realised that there was no way to stop Lucifina without fighting her seriously. Fortunately, they were in an uninhabited area. She ignored all of her sister's words, conjured a barrier of light to protect herself, and charged.

The two Seraphs clashed, shaking the sky with their combined might. Whenever their weapons met, they produced shockwaves that blew away the clouds and scared away any nearby animals. Whenever one fired a laser or other holy spell, the other dodged and the spell left a massive crater in the ground. And the Seraphs had incredible speed in addition to their power; they accelerated and changed directions at supersonic speeds, faster than even the hero Heinrich had ever achieved.

After twenty seconds of fighting – long enough for hundreds of blows to be exchanged – it was clear that Micaela was gaining the advantage. While they were very close to being evenly matched, Micaela had slight edges in strength, speed and skill. Slowly but surely, Lucifina was pushed back.

Of course, the rebellious angel didn't simply let the battle go as Micaela wished. When the two of them clashed weapons, Lucifina took a hand off her sword and fired a laser directly into Micaela's face. With no charging time, the laser was easily deflected by her barrier.

Instead of attacking Lucifina while she was vulnerable, Micaela retreated. She flew backwards until there were roughly fifty metres of distance between her and her sister. This proved to be the correct decision – a few seconds later, a massive sphere of blue light enveloped Lucifina, one that resembled a miniature star. When the light cleared, Lucifina was still there, unharmed.

"Aw, I really hoped you'd fall for that," Lucifina said.

"I fought alongside you in countless battles," Micaela said. "Do you truly think that I'm unaware of your Daystar?"

The second Seraph Lucifina was feared for many reasons, one of which was her ultimate technique Daystar. This involved accumulating holy energy for several seconds and then releasing it in an uncontained manner. It was powerful enough that if Micaela had been hit by it just now, she would have immediately lost the battle. And Daystar could only be dodged – if the user was struck during the charging phase, the energy would simply be released prematurely, cancelling out the attack and catching the attacker in the blast.

"Even if you know about it, you could at least let yourself be hit," Lucifina said. "Can you really call yourself my sister if you aren't willing to at least do that much?"

Micaela resisted the urge to bring her palm to her face. Her younger sister was always so infuriating…

 _But if she's like this, perhaps I can still talk to her._

"Lucifina, please surrender," Micaela said. "It isn't too late. I will apologise to Ilias together with you – "

Lucifina let out a long and exaggerated sigh. "So you're still going to stick with her. In that case, there's no point in this conversation."

Micaela grit her teeth. She didn't want to resort to this – even thinking about it was uncomfortable – but she had no choice.

"Lucifina, you have to give up, Ilias is too powerful to resist," Micaela said. "You know it just as much as I do. Even if you're among the most powerful beings in existence, she is far greater still."

"For once, you've raised a good point," Lucifina admitted. "And that's why I haven't tried rebelling until now. I kept silent even when Ilias brought in the Monster Lord and proved just how much of a hypocrite she is. But yesterday, when I met that little hero, I realised something."

Micaela fell silent.

"He was weaker than either of us even with the Four Spirits," Lucifina continued. "And when I killed him, he didn't have even them. He was weaker than even the weakest of angels – but he still challenged Ilias! After seeing that, how can I do anything less?"

"But Heinrich died!" Micaela retorted. "You can't do this – I'm not going to let you just throw your life away!"

Micaela gripped her spear and flew towards her sister one last time, aiming to bring her down non-lethally. Lucifina also flew towards her opponent – though Micaela wasn't sure about her intentions.

Lucifina's sword destroyed Micaela's barrier and cut her left arm – and then Micaela's spear knocked Lucifina's sword out of her hands.

 _There! Now I just have to –_

Micaela came to an abrupt stop. Lucifina was holding a second sword and had thrust it deep into her opponent's chest.

Before Micaela could react, Lucifina withdrew the sword. Blood did not spurt from the wound – in fact, there was no wound at all. But Micaela felt her holy energy drain rapidly through the spot pierced by the sword.

"What is this?" Micaela said, having trouble even staying aloft. "What is that sword!?"

"It's the one used by the hero in his final battle," Lucifina said, holding up the weapon. "After being used to kill six hundred and sixty six angels, it took in so much energy that it gave it a new form – and an interesting new ability."

Micaela examined the sword. The blade now seemed to be composed of numerous miniature figures of angels entwined together, all with expressions of unending agony. The point consisted of a ring resembling an angel's halo, and just below this was a collection of deep purple crystals resembling eyes. The guard consisted of extended angel wings. The entire weapon was a dull grey colour, unlike the silver of the original orichalcum. In summary, it was as grotesque and impractical as a sword could be without becoming unrecognisable as a sword.

"Did the – did the angels become trapped within the sword!?" Micaela said.

"As far as I can tell, no," Lucifina said. "I think it just took on this shape because it killed so many angels. More importantly, it has the unique ability of inflicting spiritual wounds instead of physical wounds, causing the victim's energy to escape. It's what I used to take down all the others who tried to stop me."

Now that Lucifina mentioned it, Micaela realised that none of the unconscious angels she'd seen had any visible wounds.

"Anyway, I've spent enough time here," Lucifina said. "Farewell."

Lucifina returned the bizarre sword to a pocket space, then turned around and prepared to fly away.

"Wait!" Micaela called out. "You're… not going to kill me?"

Lucifina paused for a moment, muttered, "Of course not, you idiot," and left.

Micaela was too weak to follow her sister. She was forced to land near Heaven's Gate and wait until reinforcements arrived.

Five minutes later, Ilias stepped through the gate in a flash of light. She glanced at Micaela and held out a hand, instantly replenishing her lost energy and healing the cut on her arm.

"Thank you, Goddess Ilias," Micaela said, kneeling. "Unfortunately… I have failed you. I could not stop Lucifina."

"There is no need to apologise, you have fulfilled your duty," Ilias said. "You may stand."

Micaela followed this order. "Goddess Ilias, I will return to Heaven and gather a contingent of the strongest angels, and – "

"No," Ilias said. "You will return to Heaven with me and stay there. We will leave Lucifina for now."

"A-As you command, but if I may ask, why?" Micaela said.

"Lucifina left because she had accumulated too much stress," Ilias said. "It's not an uncommon phenomenon among the humans, especially among children of the nobility. I have decided to do as the humans do in this situation, to let her roam free while keeping an eye on her. I am confident that she will return after tiring of the surface world."

Micaela nodded obediently and followed Ilias back into Heaven. But her heart remained disturbed.

Lucifina might have been annoying, but she was still Micaela's sister and, along with Ilias, the only person she'd known for millions of years. Now she had gone… and her parting words were something Micaela couldn't forget, no matter how hard she tried.

-ooo-

Tamamo walked through the corridors of the Monster Lord's Castle. Despite her childish appearance, everyone around her treated her with a mixture of respect and awe. It was to be expected, as she was not only a nine-tailed kitsune but also the new advisor to the Monster Lord.

Two weeks had passed since Heinrich's suicidal rebellion against Ilias. It was still unclear what precisely had happened. Shortly after Heinrich left Remina Castle, there had been a massive spike in holy energy in the east of Hellgondo. Tamamo had investigated this personally but found only craters and lingering holy energy – no signs of Heinrich could be found. Then the Monster Lord's agents had reported the return of the Four Great Spirits to their abodes – though the spirits refused to speak to them. And then there was a second spike in holy energy, this time in the Navel of the World, the area at the very centre of Sentora where Heaven's Gate was located. However, one thing was clear – Heinrich was no longer in this world.

Edina was distraught. She now refused to leave Remina Castle or to speak to anyone, save the servants and her parents. There were rumours among the servants that she was pregnant with the hero's child. For now, Tamamo decided to leave her, feeling that her parents would be better suited to helping her recover.

Speaking of rumours, one that had appeared recently was the claim that Heinrich had been lifted up to Heaven by the Goddess Ilias herself, as a reward for his achievements. This seemed to have been spawned by Heinrich's unexplained disappearance and by the holy energy sensed near Heaven's Gate. This rumour had spread like wildfire and was now impossible to stop.

With all of these issues, Tamamo had decided that she could no longer remain idle. She'd done so originally to avoid provoking Ilias, but recent events showed that this was no longer a wise course of action. She had therefore approached the current Monster Lord with a proposal to become her advisor, as well as the advisor to future Monster Lords. As the only one of the Six Ancestors who was still active, she could not do anything less.

One of Tamamo's first suggestions in her new position had been to pass a new law, one prohibiting a Monster Lord from marrying a man unless he was stronger than them. This wouldn't interfere with the continuance of the line, since the Monster Lord could still take lovers. Alice IX had been confused by the suggestion initially, but then she'd realised the intended purpose: to hide the truth of Alice VIII's and Heinrich's relationship. This new law would cause people to assume that it had been passed to solve a problem faced by the previous Monster Lord, thus preventing them from ever suspecting that she had, in fact, been in love with a man stronger than her (though that had been with the help of the spirits).

These days, Tamamo had to deal with mountains of paperwork and speak with countless people. She welcomed the work as it kept her from feeling bored… and, if she was honest with herself, it helped assuage her guilt for her previous crimes.

Tamamo arrived at her office and began the day's work. An hour after she started, a human woman stepped in, one wearing travelling clothes and a blue cloak with a hood.

"Yes, what is it?" Tamamo said, glancing at the visitor.

"Come on, have you forgotten me already?" the visitor.

Tamamo recognised the voice. She immediately used magic to shut the door and stood up.

 _I have a few talismans under the table – but if I try fighting here, then everyone will –_

"Calm down, I'm not here for a fight," Lucifina said. "And if I was, we both know that I'd win."

"You overestimate yourself, Seraph Lucifina," Tamamo said, her face twisted into a scowl.

"If it was a fight out in the open and you weren't sealed, sure, you'd have a chance," Lucifina said. "But there's all the innocent bystanders above, below and around us. And you've gotten soft now, haven't you? You would try to protect them."

Tamamo realised that she had a point. She relaxed… slightly… and observed her old enemy carefully.

"Aside from that, I knew you were like this, but I still can't believe how – how adorable you look!" Lucifina said. "You look like a little girl playing with her mother's clothes! Don't you feel stupid wearing a kimono off the shoulder when you don't even have any – "

"Why have you come here, Lucifina?" Tamamo asked sternly. "What does Ilias want?"

"Let me make things clear – I'm not working for her anymore, and I never will again," Lucifina declared.

Tamamo blinked. "You… but there's no way Ilias would – "

"She didn't, that's why I ended up having to fight with Micaela and the old hag came down to the surface briefly," Lucifina said. "Now, I'm no longer an angel of Heaven. I'm something new: a fallen angel."

"'Fallen angel'… your naming sense is as bad as ever," Tamamo said.

Lucifina shrugged. "I used to live up in Heaven, now I'm on the ground, 'fallen angel' sounds as good as anything. And if you think that's bad, how about 'Angel Halo'?"

Accompanying these words, Lucifina took out the most bizarre-looking sword Tamamo had ever seen, one that looked like numerous tiny angels melted together into a simple mass.

"This is a pretty unique weapon – basically, it inflicts spiritual wounds and can be used to subdue people without killing them," Lucifina explained. "It also used to be that little hero's sword."

"Heinrich's!?" Tamamo said. "How did you… ah. I see."

"Yeah, I killed him," Lucifina said brazenly. "I was still following Ilias' orders back then. Now, do you want the sword or not?"

"I do."

Lucifina set the sword on the table.

"Aside from that, I have some interesting information about what Ilias is planning…" Lucifina said.

Tamamo listened carefully, her scowl deepening the more she heard. If she had been more proactive earlier, she might have been able to save just two more lives.

 _But on the other hand, Ilias would never stop even if she had failed here. She would continue searching for a way to kill us all. She would still need to be dealt with eventually…_

"Anyway, that's all I know," Lucifina said. "I'll leave you to handle this, since you seem to be doing pretty well for yourself. I'm going to travel the world, see the sights and experience all the things I never got the chance to before. Oh, and I'm not going to indulge my usual hobbies, since I don't want to attract the old hag's attention, so you don't have to worry about entire villages being slaughtered overnight or anything. Don't bother trying to track me down if you need help."

"…That's reassuring," Tamamo said. "It has been pleasant speaking with you after so long, Lucifina."

"Likewise," Lucifina said with a smile. "Seeing you in this state will give me something to laugh about for years."

Lucifina moved towards the door, gave a mocking bow, and left.

Tamamo settled back into her chair. She would need to update the castle's security measures – she could not let angels simply enter here as they please. She would also need to tell the Monster Lord about this unexpected meeting. Fortunately, no one else would have eavesdropped on this – Tamamo had come up with several entirely new spells after what had happened with Heinrich.

 _To think that Lucifina, of all people, has changed… Though the same could be said of me. We are not so different in the number of people we've killed, Lucifina merely carried out most of hers personally. Still, I'm surprised that she was the first to rebel, instead of Micaela…_

Tamamo's thoughts then turned to the issue of Ilias. It was clear that war would inevitably break out again. The Dark Goddess and five of the Six Ancestors were no longer here to fight the forces of Heaven, while the remaining Ancestor could not make full use of her power. On the other hand, Heaven had also lost one its strongest fighters as well as a large portion of its forces. Moreover, the average monster or human was considerably stronger than in the ancient era, and their numbers far greater.

 _There's a chance we could win… but the casualties would be enormous, possibly even greater than in the last war. So many lives cut short…_

Then Tamamo looked at the strange sword on the table, the one that Lucifina had imaginatively named "Angel Halo". She would need to test it first, but if Lucifina's claims were accurate, it held considerable potential.

 _There's far too much killing in this world. To defeat one's opponents without killing them… it's an ideal worth fighting for._

* * *

 _AN: For those of you who haven't figured it out yet, my plan is to have two different endings for this fic, something inspired by the multiple endings of visual novels. This is the one that's a tragedy, but sets up the events of the original trilogy. The next chapter will feature the happy ending._


	37. Chapter 36: True End

"What… What are you doing?" Alice asked, her eyes wide.

"What does it look like?" Heinrich said. "I'm not going to kill you. Not today, not tomorrow, never!"

These words caused Sylph to materialise and cheer loudly. She was soon followed by the other three spirits, who were more subdued but still approving of this decision.

"But it has to be done!" Alice insisted. "The people won't accept anything other than the hero killing the tyrannical Monster Lord!"

Alice trembled. "But there's no other option – "

"There is," Heinrich said. "The people don't need the Monster Lord to be dead, they only need to _believe_ that. In that case, all we have to do is fake your death! And with all that damage to the castle, they'll definitely believe that I killed you in battle!"

"That's – but someone will find out, once they investigate – "

"Then all we have to do is spread some of your blood around!" Sylph said. "They'll all think you got blown to bits! No one's going to go out of their way to check!"

Gnome took several deep breaths, then said slowly, "I can't say… that I know how you feel… But I've seen too many people die already… I don't want any more…"

Alice lowered her head and said nothing for a few moments.

"That idea might work. But… I don't deserve it. I've killed too many people, created a rift between humans and monsters that will take decades to heal. I can't be the only one to get a happy ending."

"Alipheese the Eighth, I understand that feeling, but I cannot agree with it," Undine said. "There are many in this world who have done things that they later regret. That applies to any monster who has lived since the last major war – including ourselves. If you truly regret your actions, do not take the simple path of death – live on, so that you may atone for them."

"I'd say something to cheer you up as well, but I know you the least out of us," Salamander said. "So I'll leave it to the one who knows you the best."

Heinrich sheathed his sword and approached Alice.

"You wanted me to go along with your selfishness, right?" Heinrich said. "Sorry, but I refuse. Instead, I want you to – "

Suddenly, Heinrich's sword and armour glowed with white light.

The next few moments were a confused blur. First, Heinrich felt his body move against his will, with his hand grasping the hilt and drawing the sword. Then a gust of wind slammed into his arm, causing him to drop his sword. Finally, he was pinned down by two pairs of strong arms.

"What the hell is going on!?" Sylph asked.

"Holy energy – the sword and armour, they were a trap!" Salamander replied. "It must be – dammit, stop moving!"

Heinrich's body continued to move, struggling against the restraint of Salamander and Gnome.

"We have to cut it off!" Gnome said. "Sorry, Heinrich, this will be – "

A sudden feeling of weakness struck Heinrich, as if his limbs had been severed and all of his senses blocked. Though he still struggled unwillingly, two spirits now had no trouble restraining him.

 _They… cut off the contracts from their end,_ Heinrich realised.

"We need to remove the armour as well, it also has the curse," Undine said. "Heinrich, my apologies, but we will have to be rough…"

The Four Spirits removed each piece of the armour, cutting, tearing, and burning at the straps, until it was all gone. Heinrich suffered a few injuries in the process, but for someone who'd fought in a war this was nothing. Once he was no longer being controlled, the spirits released him.

"Heinrich…" Alice said, holding her head in her hands. "It's all my fault… I should have known it was just too good to be true, meteoric equipment doesn't just turn up – "

"No, it's my fault!" Heinrich said. "I'm the one who accepted it, who brought it in here even when there was no more need for it – if it hadn't been for the spirits, I – "

A series of nightmarish images invaded Heinrich's mind. He saw himself cutting down Alice, unable to resist the manipulations of a cruel goddess. He saw himself being congratulated by the people of the world for slaying a tyrannical warmonger. And he saw Ilias appearing before him, disappointed that he hadn't obeyed her orders –

 _Wait, 'orders'? That never…_

 _No… I remember now. That time, she…_

"And it's my fault as well, I was there too, remember?" Sylph interjected. "And – wait, there's one more person who should be here!"

Sylph flew to a nearby door, opened it and entered the room on the other side. There was muffled shouting, then Sylph returned, accompanied by another monster. This one bore a distinct resemblance to the late Monster Lord, though her hair was platinum blonde, she had a pair of insectoid arms underneath her humanoid ones, and she wore a black evening dress.

Dinah Fateburn looked around at the bizarre scene: at the spirits, at the hero, at the abandoned sword and armour, and at her very much alive sister. She ran towards the last of these and punched her in the face, knocking her to the ground.

"I can't believe you did that!" Dinah shouted. "After everything we went through, you just tried to get yourself killed! Let me guess, you thought it was necessary for world peace!"

Dinah reached down and pulled up her elder sister so that they were face-to-face.

"You're an absolute, incurable idiot!" Dinah continued. "I thought that you'd grown up lately, but you're still just as much of an idiot as always! If you had just bothered to wait _one more minute_ , I would have told you about my plan to fake your death! But no, you put me to sleep and tried to die! You're lucky that your boyfriend wasn't as stupid as you! If – if you hadn't been so lucky…"

Then Dinah pulled Alice into a forceful hug. Both of them were trembling.

It took several minutes for the sisters to settle their issues, during which Heinrich and the spirits reformed their contracts. Once this was done, they explained what had just happened. Undine also analysed the discarded equipment and discovered another aspect to the curse: if the spirits had still been in Heinrich's mind when the curse was activated, they would be trapped inside until the curse ended. It was an incredible stroke of fortune that they had materialised before that had happened. Heinrich also revealed a memory that had been suppressed until now.

"And Ilias appeared to me, when I was asleep after the meeting of the kings in San Ilia," Heinrich said. "She told me that I needed to – to kill Alice, that it was the only way to stop the war. After it was over, I couldn't remember what happened, as if it was a dream."

"But it wasn't just a dream," Dinah said, scowling. "I've read about this kind of thing in the older history books. Ilias was known for appearing to her followers and encouraging to hate monsters, to fight us with all their strength. She hasn't stopped… in fact, in hindsight she was almost certainly responsible for helping start this war."

"But she was completely wrong!" Sylph said. "Heinrich didn't go through with it in the end!"

"But she also had a plan for that…" Gnome retorted quietly.

"Indeed… Ilias always has backup plans in case of any eventuality," Undine said. "However, as this incident has shown, she is not infallible."

"Speaking of which, what should we do with her trap?" Salamander said. "It could still let her work tricks through it. We can melt it down if we use enough heat, even if it is meteoric metal."

"While I'd prefer to do that, it should be kept and studied to prevent anything like this happening again," Dinah said. "I'll put it in the most secure vault of the castle. Moving on, what do you plan doing, Alice?"

The Monster Lord jumped when she was addressed. She had been staying out of the conversation until now. Even at this point, she still looked hesitant.

"You're not _still_ thinking about suicide, are you?" Dinah said.

Alice lowered her head. "It's true that I could fake my death, and nobody would notice, but – "

"Then what are you waiting for?" Dinah said. "If you still think you don't deserve to live – think about it this way. I don't want you dead, Heinrich doesn't, the Four Spirits don't, Edina wouldn't if she was here, and – if she returned as an undead and was capable of seeing this – mother definitely wouldn't. If you die, we'll all be miserable. Is _that_ what you want?"

Alice couldn't stop herself from smiling slightly at these words. She extended several tentacles and pulled everyone in for one big hug.

"No, it isn't."

"Finally," Dinah said, her voice muffled. She pushed her sister back. "Alright, that's enough time wasted. Any more and the people outside will get suspicious. There's an easy way for you to get out of here without being spotted, you just need to hide inside your size-shifting cabinet and Heinrich can take you out of here. He can get out of here and, once he's shaken off the crowd and finds a safe location, he can let you out."

"Actually… there's something else I need to say," Heinrich said, taking a deep breath. "I've been fighting for two years and… and I'm tired of it. And after what happened just now, I can't keep going."

"Wait – no!" Alice cried out. "You can't, Heinrich!"

"I don't mean that!" Heinrich said quickly. "I mean that I can't keep going as a hero with everyone's expectations on me. Now, I just want to live in peace… with you."

"Heinrich…"

"Alice…"

"Okay, now's not the time for this!" Dinah interjected. "If you want to disappear as well, it'll make things a bit more difficult…"

-ooo-

The next few minutes required them to move quickly. First, Alice and Heinrich cut themselves and spread their blood over some of the rubble. Next, Alice contacted her last remaining friend to tell her about what had happened. Finally, they hid themselves inside the size-shifting cabinet, trusting Dinah to carry out the next step of the plan.

Dinah was to leave the castle and address the waiting crowd, lying to them that the hero and the Monster Lord had killed each other in combat. As evidence of this, she would hold up Heinrich's scabbard and point towards the significant damage of the castle. She would announce herself as the new Monster Lord – hoping that none would dare challenge her claim – and order monsterkind to cease fighting. Then, as soon as she found an opportunity, she would find one of her trusted agents and give them one more mission: to deliver the cabinet to a deserted alley in Remina, ostensibly to be picked up by another agent there.

The plan was a success. Fortunately, it was possible for people inside the cabinet to sense it moving around and to hear nearby sounds. When the cabinet stopped moving, the two of them waited ten more seconds to confirm that there was nobody around, then disguised themselves and emerged.

Alice stretched her limbs. "Ahh… this is the first time I've had the chance to relax in two years."

"I feel the same way," Heinrich said.

They stepped out of the alley and into the streets of Remina. News of the events at the Monster Lord's Castle had already spread to here. Everyone – human or monster, male or female, young or old – was celebrating the end of the worst war in five hundred years. The air was filled with the sound of music, the smell of good food, and the spectacle of fireworks.

 _Though it does feel strange, since they're all celebrating my death,_ Alice thought. _But I'm not afraid anymore. As long as there are people who still believe in me, I can keep going._

They headed for Remina Castle and snuck in. The castle naturally had significant security, which had only been increased during the war, but no security was perfect. In her childhood, Alice had been brought here by her mother for official visits. During these occasions, she'd played with Edina and learned all about the castle, including the gaps in the security that allowed even children to get around without being spotted. She'd passed on this knowledge to Heinrich to assist him in secretly meeting with Edina. Now, with the two of them working together and the guards relaxing due to the celebrations, it was even easier to sneak in.

They found the princess of Remina sitting alone in a room and surrounded by documents. Rather than join in the celebrations, she was working to keep the city functioning.

 _But then, out of the two of us, she's always been the more responsible one,_ Alice thought. _And… recent events… would have only made her more responsible._

When Edina looked up, she immediately stood up and ran over to hug Alice. She continued hugging her for over a minute, eventually separating with tears in her eyes.

"I guess this is goodbye, then," Edina said.

"Wait, you're not going to yell at me for… for trying to get myself killed?" Alice asked nervously. "I thought you were just waiting to do in person."

"I thought of that, but I figured that your sister would have already done enough of that," Edina said. "So I'll just be glad that you're safe."

"Well, I'm not going to complain about not being yelled at," Alice said. "But are you really fine with this? Heinrich and I are going to go off to some distant place where no one else lives, we probably won't come back ever again. We won't be able to communicate except using telepathy. We won't see each other again, and…"

"I know what you're getting at, and it's fine," Edina said. She looked at Heinrich. "It's true that even now, I still have these feelings… but you don't always get what you want, especially when it comes to love. That's just how the world works. And… really, the two of you are perfect for each other, I would only get in the way."

Alice shook her head. "But it shouldn't have to be this way."

"Perhaps not, but the world doesn't always go the way you want it," Edina said. "It's not like this is the last time we'll ever say anything to each other. And besides," she leaned closer to Alice, "after two years of not getting any, don't you want some time alone with him?"

Alice blushed to the tips of her ears, as did Heinrich.

"Even now, you're still easy to tease," Edina said. She then hugged both of them. "It was nice seeing you again. Farewell."

After the meeting was over, Alice and Heinrich snuck out of the castle. The celebrations in Remina were even more intense than before, with thousands of people milling about in the streets. In the eastern sky, the first traces of dawn could be seen.

They left Remina. Taking on the appearance of a succubus, Alice picked up Heinrich and flew away, blending in among the countless other monsters flying around. She flew southwest, reaching the coast and continuing on above the sea.

They flew for several hours, long enough for the sun to rise above the horizon, and eventually came across a small island. It was barely big enough to fit a small town, even excluding the space needed for fields. The coast comprised sandy beaches, while the interior had several groves of palm trees and a couple of small hills. The island was far from any settlements or travel routes. A quick examination confirmed that there were no humans or monsters present. There was no better hiding place than this.

Alice landed on the island and set Heinrich down. The two of them sat on the beach and watched the sunlit ocean.

"You know, there's one thing I didn't do back then," Alice said. "I wish I could visit mother's grave and apologise to her for… well, everything."

"It's not too late to go back and do that," Heinrich said, not entirely seriously.

"No, we can't risk revealing the secret, not after coming this far," Alice replied.

Heinrich grasped Alice's hand gently. "This might sound clichéd, and I might not be the right person to say this, but… if your mother was still here, I think she'd be proud of you for what you accomplished, considering the circumstances you were in."

"Maybe," Alice said. "Let's move on from that. There's also the question of what to do about – about Ilias."

Heinrich's expression hardened at these words. It was no wonder – while Alice had been forced into tyranny and nearly killed by the light goddess' manipulations, Heinrich had been directly controlled by her.

"I've been wondering that as well," Heinrich replied. "But it doesn't look like there's anything we _can_ do. No one's ever invaded Heaven before – unless that did happen and just wasn't recorded in human records?"

"There's no records of that happening in monster records either," Alice said, shaking her head. "And on top of Heaven itself being inaccessible, there's Ilias herself. No matter her actions, she's still a goddess when it comes to power. Even the most plausible of our records describe her as being able to throw lightning bolts that can annihilate cities, to cross the span of the world by teleporting through light, and being unaffected by the attacks of entire groups of Queen-class monsters. And then there's her angels as well… even if we could unite everyone of the surface world, monster and human, behind us, it wouldn't be enough to take her on."

"There's also stories of her being able to see anywhere in the world, through any kind of barrier," Heinrich said, glancing at the sky.

"It's probably true, considering how she activated her trap when you were right next to me," Alice said. "And she might still be watching us now. But she hasn't done anything since then…"

Heinrich let out a long, exhausted breath. "Well, it's up to Dinah now. With the cursed sword and armour, she should be able to learn more about Ilias' ways and hopefully figure out ways to stop her trying anything like this again."

"I'm sure she'll manage," Alice said. "In the past, I always said that she would make a better Monster Lord than me."

They fell silent, continuing to watch the gentle waves. The wind picked up, though it didn't exceed the level of a refreshing breeze.

Eventually, a thought occurred to Alice's mind. She had been embarrassed about it before, but now that she'd had time to properly relax, and with no one else around…

"Hey, Heinrich?"

"What is it?"

"I won't judge you for this, but…we were apart for two years. And you hated me for a major portion of that, for perfectly good reasons. So… it wouldn't be surprising if you – "

"I didn't!" Heinrich cried, sitting up quickly.

"That's a relie – erm, I mean, I see."

Suddenly, the Four Spirits materialised. They left the couple and moved to the other side of the island without saying a word… nor did they need to.

Alice took a deep breath. "Well… in these two years, I wasn't with anyone as well. Even if I'd wanted to, with the act I was putting on, it would have just been disturbing… My point is, now, if you're okay with it…"

Alice extended a few tentacles towards Heinrich cautiously. He reached out one hand and grasped them.

-ooo-

The next morning, they got up from the beach and reunited with the spirits – though not without a considerable amount of teasing.

Over the next two days, they constructed a small house. It was one storey tall with four rooms plus a basement for storage, and was made out of mudbricks. The couple's capabilities meant that they could have easily constructed a more elaborate home, but there was no need. And the thought of living in a large building reminded Alice of things that were better left forgotten.

Life on the tropical island proved to be remarkably luxurious. There was plenty of space to swim and fly. The sea contained a seemingly endless supply of food – though they were careful to avoid taking too much of any one type, ensuring that the ecosystem could recover. The land didn't provide enough food on its own, but the occasional coconut or seabird egg added variety to their diet. And, at least once each day, Alice would contact her sister, her childhood friend or both.

One week after they settled on the island, a visitor arrived. Said visitor crossed the sea by riding a large flat-topped chunk of stone, which skimmed across the water's surface in cheerful defiance of buoyancy. The visitor slowed down as they approached the island, giving the couple plenty of time to prepare for her arrival, then lightly stepped ashore.

Shaking her nine tails to remove the water from them, Tamamo said, "It's been a while since we last met. You seem to be doing alright for yourselves."

"I could say the same for you," Alice said.

"How is Yamatai now?" Heinrich asked. The spirits had returned to his mind, just in case.

"Just fine, thank you, it lasted through the war without any damage," Tamamo replied. "But that brings me to the reason I came here. You see, after fighting off the first assault on the village, I decided to leave it in secret and investigate the reasons why the war began in the first place, trusting the villagers to defend against any further attacks. I discovered that the war was started by Ilias, for the purpose of trying to make one of you kill the other – this much you already know. More recently, I also discovered why she used such a convoluted method."

Tamamo explained how the cursed sword was designed so that, when activated, it would fill the victim with Ilias' holy energy. This would allow her to take said victim's soul, even if they were a monster. Ilias had been trying to take the soul of a monster in order to reshape it into a loyal slave.

This explanation filled Alice with a mix of emotions, with two being dominant: fear that she had narrowly avoided such a horrific fate, and anger at the one responsible. She wanted to fly up to heaven, the impossibility of the task be damned, and punch that corrupt goddess right in the face. Judging from his expression, Heinrich was of a similar mindset.

"I discovered this through talking with both your sister and with… an old enemy from the time of the Great Monster Wars," Tamamo said. "To properly explain this… I suppose you deserve to know the truth. It's the least I can do after everything you've suffered."

Tamamo's next move took them by surprise. The kitsune chanted, "I ask thee, eternal time... My body, shackled by the powers of creation, I beseech thee. Return my true body to me!" and transformed into an adult version of herself with vastly greater power. If the power of Alice, Heinrich and the Four Spirits was combined, it would still be less than that of the being before them.

"My true identity is Tamamo-no-Mae, one of the Six Ancestors, Mother of Beasts," Tamamo said. "I've hidden this for a long time, wanting to live a quiet life – much as you two are now doing. But recent events have made me realise that I can no longer simply hide from the world."

Tamamo continued her explanation. First, she confirmed that she, along with her sisters, was indeed as cruel as the stories portrayed her, and it was only her current lack of killing intent that kept the couple listening to what she had to say. She revealed how, at the end of the Great Monster Wars, Ilias had threatened to keep fighting even if it meant the destruction of the world, forcing the Dark Goddess and the Six Ancestors into a contract: they would seal themselves away and in return Ilias would cease trying to exterminate monsters. Tamamo had exploited a loophole in her seal to escape, though at the expense of a weaker body, so that she could watch over the world. During this time, she had softened and become the person she was today.

A few days ago, Tamamo had visited the Monster Lord's Castle to speak with Dinah and examine the cursed sword personally. Shortly afterwards, she encountered one of the enemies she'd fought many times before: Lucifina, one of Ilias' three Seraphs. Lucifina had admitted to being Ilias' agent and the one who'd passed on the cursed sword. Through talking with her, Tamamo had learned Ilias' true goal – apparently, Ilias had screamed about this failure to her Seraphs for some time. Ilias needed a Monster Lord to manage the flow of dark energy, which would allow her to exterminate monsters without releasing the seals on the Dark Goddess and Six Ancestors. Lucifina also claimed to have now abandoned Ilias, since the goddess' recent failure had shown that she was far from infallible. At the present moment, Lucifina was wandering the world and enjoying herself.

"I can't believe something on that scale was happening," Alice said, shaking her head.

"Indeed… it's probably for the best that beings such as myself stay out of the world's affairs," Tamamo said, now back to her child-like form.

"If Ilias was willing to go to such lengths, she's not going to stop," Heinrich said. "She'll definitely try again and – "

"Actually, I believe that she will not," Tamamo said. "At least, she will not try anything towards you two again, now that you are wary of her. And the loss of one of her Seraphs is a major blow that will keep her from attempting any major actions for at least a few centuries. For now, there will be peace. You two should relax… you have certainly earned it."

Tamamo gave a bow and then left on her improvised boat.

"Goddesses, Seraphs and Ancestors… to think that legendary figures like them were acting in secret this whole time," Alice said. "It makes everything we've done seem pathetic in comparison."

"I wouldn't exactly put it that way, though you do have a point," Heinrich said. He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hmm… from what I, and the spirits, could tell, Tamamo was telling the truth. Did you get the same feeling?"

"I did, why?"

"For the past few days, I've been talking to the spirits about whether we should end our contracts," Heinrich said. "We decided against it because of the risk that Ilias might try something, but if that's not going to happen…"

Alice understood why Heinrich wanted to do this. During her brief tenure as Monster Lord, she had seen more veteran fighters return from war than most Monster Lords would see in their entire lives. While their behaviour varied, one common pattern was for them to reject anything that reminded them of combat, such as weapons. And while the Four Spirits were living people, not simple weapons, they were still inextricably associated with the legend of the hero Heinrich… and Heinrich had fled with Alice to this island in order to leave this legend behind.

"If that's what you want, then I'm okay with it," Alice said.

Heinrich nodded and the Four Spirits materialised around him.

"It's a shame that it's time to go, but as long as the wind blows, we'll always be connected!" Sylph said, circling around Heinrich and Alice.

"Thank you… for everything," Gnome said, shaking hands with the couple. "I'll return to Safar… and rebuild it into something even better than before."

"While I have only known you for a short time, Alipheese the Eighth, it has been a pleasant experience," Undine said. "May the blessings of water be with you."

"It'll probably be centuries before I get a contractor who's half as good with the fire as you, Heinrich," Salamander said in a tone of mock complaint. "Well, time to say goodbye! And when you have kids, make sure you call me over so I can help name them!"

The Four Spirits transformed into their respective elements and dispersed into the earth, the sea and the atmosphere.

Heinrich breathed slowly and deeply, in a way he hadn't done even after arriving on the island. "Even though it's sad to part with them… I still feel relieved. Now I'm not the legendary hero Heinrich, saviour of the world… I'm just me."

Alice held her lover's hand. "And there's nothing wrong with that."

The two of them sat on the beach and watched the sea. The strong wind created large waves which crashed on the beach, and all of this was bathed in the warm light of the sun. Even though they'd seen this sight countless times before, it was something that they could never tire of.

* * *

 _AN: This is the real happy ending. With this,_ The Tyrant and the Hero _is complete._

 _Writing my first fanfic has been an exhilarating experience. There were times when I wasn't sure I would finish, and I changed my plans so often that this is nearly unrecognisable from my original ideas. But ultimately, I don't regret writing this._

 _Thank you to everyone who's reviewed this story._

 _For now, I think I'll take a bit of a break from writing._


End file.
